“We are differently able, but I believe that when you start pursuing your passion and compliment it with faith, success will follow,” Mr. Jayson Ocampo said.
Jayson, a 39-year-old native of San Jose City, Nueva Ecija, is a father, a husband, a registered pharmacist by profession, and a para-athlete by passion. Now, with his love for table tennis, he was able to bag two bronze medals in the recently concluded 11th 2022 ASEAN Para Games held in Indonesia from July 30 to August 6, 2022.
Together with his partner Mr. Jobert Lumanta, they finished the match for Table Tennis Men’s Doubles Class 8 and Men’s Team Class 8 with two wins.
In a virtual interview, Jayson reminisces how his journey as a Philippine representative at the ASEAN Para Games started.
“I was just looking for a table tennis club around Quezon City where I am currently residing; I never thought that I will find something that is so much more than that,” he shared.
For Jayson, he has found inspiration, motivation, and a new goal in playing table tennis. The people he met in the Table Tennis Club introduced him to the Para National Games where he eventually became a consistent player. From being a national player, he underwent a training pool and was later on selected as one of the delegates for the ASEAN Para Games.
Looking back to his younger years, his fondness for table tennis began when he was a high school student at the Central Luzon State University- University Science High School (CLSU-USHS). Playing with his classmates was one of the memories he will never forget while tossing the ball to win the round was then the best feeling for him.
“Always strive for excellence. As a para-athlete, I believe that we all face different challenges and hardships in life, but it should not stop us from pursuing our dreams. Each of us has a unique talent that we need to cultivate so we can share it with the world,” he said.
For him, one has to be passionate enough to dream big, and courageous enough to achieve them. He never thought that his first international competition will pave the way for him to bring honor to the country, and yet it happened.
True enough, nothing is impossible if you believe in yourself and if you surround yourself with people who believe in you.
The National Paralympic Games are high-level multi-sport events that provide competitions for athletes with disabilities and are being held at the national level by the International Paralympic Committee and national Paralympic Committees in non-Olympic years.
