Arman Dino (2nd from right) poses with Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes and barangay officials when he visited the Mandaue City Hall yesterday. (CDN PHOTO/NORMAN MENDOZA)
He lost his right hand to a firecracker blast when he was seven years old. But that didn’t stop Arman Dino from becoming a top athlete.
Dino, now 29 years old, recently won three medals in the Thailand Para-Athletics Track and Field Championships.
Dino is gearing up for another competition in Incheon, Korea and the paralympian from barangay Alang-Alang, Mandaue City is asking for financial and moral support from the Cebuanos.
“We all know that support for sports, particularly for athletes like me, is not that much, financially. Of course, I need your prayers too, to give me strength in the competition,” said Dino, who went to the office of Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes yesterday.
Cortes has expressed willingness to support Dino for his upcoming competition.
“I’ve been thanking God that he never left me. My right hand was gone but he gave me strong legs to run, to chase my dreams. But I need your help,” added Dino.
Dino is currently the only Cebuano among the 60 paralympians in the country.
In his latest competition, Dino won gold medal in the 100-meter dash event. He also won silver in the 400m dash and bronze in the 200m dash.
Dino recalled how he lost his right hand. He said he lit a “superlolo” in a Christmas revelry but the firecracker exploded in his hand.
“It took me five years before I was able to accept the fact that I have lost my right hand. I learned to eat, write, and do things with my left hand. My amputated right hand can only do little things like carrying a bag,” Dino said.
A barangay worker encouraged Dino to join a group of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) who holds regular activities, including sports, in their barangay.
“When I joined the group, it was then I realized that I am not alone. There are a lot of people like me and they are happy,” said Dino.
He said that when he learned to accept his disabilities, it was then that he started to discover his abilities and strengths and one of them is running.
He finished high school in the Mandaue Comprehensive High School. He was named the fastest runner in the regional inter-school tournament event for PWDs.
He would have wanted to study Fine Arts but financial difficulties prevented him from finishing college.
“I believe I can paint using my left hand. I love the idea of expressing myself through painting,” Dino said.
Dino continued to practice running on his own. It was last year that his superb talent in running was discovered when he won in last year’s Palarong Pambansa in Laguna.
He them became part of the Philippine Team which competed in Thailand for the Para-Athletics Track and Field Championships last July.
“Gihilantan ko paghuman ug duwa ana tungod sa init kaayo nga klima nila didto,” he said.
Dino is also aspiring to become a coach for aspiring athletes.
Aside from sports, Dino is also good at singing and even became the grand champion in PWDs Got Talent last 2010.
“Sa tanang sama nako, ayaw kamo kawagtangan ug paglaum. Padayon sa pagpakita sa inyong talento ug padayon sa pagkab-ut sa inyong pangandoy,”said Dino