A 10-year-old boy from Cadiz City, who has Phocomelia disease, grabbed three gold medals in swimming at paragames in the Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association (VWRAA) Meet 2024 hosted by Negros Occidental and Bacolod City.
Dubbed as the WVRAA “swimming sensation”, Zach Lucas Obsioma, a Level 5 student at Special Education (SPED) Training Center in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, has became an “ala celebrity” again at the swimming venue at St. John’s Institute (SJI) in Talisay City.
Zach, who has very tiny feet due to Phocomelia syndrome, really showed fearlessness thus peerless during his games on May 3 to 5.
Phocomelia syndrome is a rare congenital anomaly where the proximal aspect of an extremity is absent with the hand or foot attached directly to the trunk.
Thus, Zach with tiny feet only uses a skate board for his daily mobility, according to a statement issued by the Cadiz City government.
But this Max Fermales- and Lyn Rabuya-mentored tanker still copped three gold medals in 50-meter back stroke on May 3, 50-meter breast stroke on May 4 and 50-meter free style on May 5.
Second in the brood of three, Zach, who was born on August 16, 2013, and raised in Barangay Zone 3, Cadiz City, started to cast interest in swimming only last year.
The late Cherill Ducay, SPED-Cadiz City coordinator, was the one who enticed Zach to venture on swimming rather than on football as his first choice.
With just more than two months of swimming training, still Zach prevailed during the Palarong Panlalawigan in Negros Occidental all the way to WVRAA in Aklan and Palarong Pambansa in Marikina City last year.
Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. said he was elated with Zach’s fearlessness despite of his physical disability.
Hauling again three gold in WVRAA Meet is an extra-ordinary feat for a person with disability (PWD) like Zach, thus, worthy of commendation, Escalante said.
He added that Zach is Cadiz’s young sport icon, which symbolizes persistency and resiliency.
Last year, the Cadiz City government gifted Zach a laptop after he also shone in Palarong Pambansa paragames.
“This time, I don’t know yet what to give him after raising anew SPED Cadiz’s flag in WVRAA 2024,” Escalante said, adding, “Zach’s is truly beyond emulation.”
Zach’s mom, Maria Evita, said that she’s so happy with her son’s performance in copping three gold medals.
She thanked Fermales and Rabuya for their patience and dedication in training and mentoring Zach at Laura’s Beach Resort in Cadiz City almost every day.
She’s grateful too with the all-out support given by the local government of Cadiz for Zach and the rest of Cadiz athletes who were included in the WVRAA 2024. ||
