Andrei Kuizon was declared champion in the men’s javelin throw on Thursday to give the Philippines its 28th gold medal at the 12th ASEAN Para Games here.

The 23-year-old Kuizon, classified as F54, was initially given the silver medal after posting 19.03 meters in the F34-54 category of the competition held at the Morodok Techo National Stadium warm-up area on Wednesday, with Vietnamese Vivan Tung taking the gold medal with an effort of 21.33m.

But the organizers decided to separate the winners of the F34 and F54 categories, thus, allowing the 5-foot-11 thrower from Las Piñas to claim his second gold medal after winning the shot put event.

“It’s nice to win, I am happy for the medals I won here in Cambodia,” said Kuizon, a senior information technology student at STI-Las Piñas.

The protégée of former national team member Nixon Mas had a dismal showing when he debuted last year, finishing fourth in shot put and discus, and fifth in javelin.

“Of course, I was sad. I did not bring home a medal. It’s my first time to compete in the ASEAN Para Games and I was nervous,” shared Kuizon, a member of the wheelchair basketball that finished sixth at the 2021 Asian Para Games in Manama, Bahrain.

National track and field assistant coach Bernard Bren, speaking on behalf of head coach Joel Deriada, said: “The TIC (organizers) decided to give the gold to Andrei. We have the document they sent and his gold medal.”

The athletics team’s 10-gold, 10-silver and 11-bronze output has surpassed its 6-4-14 performance in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, the Philippines remains in fifth spot in the medal tally with 28 golds, 31 silvers and 42 bronzes.

Reigning champion Indonesia is on top with 139 golds, 127 silvers and 86 bronzes followed by Thailand (117-100-80), Vietnam (63-54-74) and Malaysia (46-35-28). (PNA)