Alex Niño Silverio. | TRAP photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The quest to qualify for the Olympics starts for Cebuano Alex Niño Silverio as he vies for the prestigious Para Triathlon Asian Championships 2024 in Subic Bay, Zambales on Sunday, June 2.
Silverio will be the lone Cebuano paratriathlete vying in the race. He will wear the country’s tri-colors as part of the Triathlon Philippines.
In an interview with CDN Digital, Silverio said that he has been training for roughly a month, mainly focusing on his swim. An amputee, Silverio has been competing in triathlon for eight years already.
READ: FACES OF CEBU: Alex Niño Silverio, 31, amputee triathlete
“Actually na kulbaan ko kay puro baya mga experienced akoang mga kontra bisan pa [og] puro mi nga praktisado nga athlete,” said Silverio.
Silverio added that he is gunning to win a medal to help brighten the future of fellow para triathletes, which receives less support from the sports governing bodies than regular athletes.
READ: Ando, Ceniza gun for Olympic slots in IWF World Cup in Thailand
“Medyo kulba kay big event man gud ni, pero I will always try my very best para maka medal ta para sad mo bright ang future sa mga para triathletes dri sa Pilipinas,” said Silverio.
Olympics
Silverio added that joining this event is also crucial to qualifying for the Olympics in the future. He explained that joining triathlon races like this one earned him certain points to be eligible for the Olympics.
READ: Elreen Ando wins gold in SWP National Championships; earns slot in 2023 Asian Games
However, it won’t be an easy race. Silverio revealed that most of the competitors on Sunday have faster swim splits, thus he’s been focusing on that to be able to compete with them.
He also revealed that he did bike altitude training to improve his performance.
“Atong mga kontra diri lisud-lisud jud kay sa Japan fourth na siya sa world rankings then bound for Paris Olympics. Same sad sa taga China nga daghan na ug naapilan nga races,” Silverio said.
“Lisud siya para nako kay kuwang kaayo sa exposure sa mga races like ingon-ani. Pero bisag lisud laban lang jud ta ani para sa bayan.”