Filipino table tennis duo wins silver at 2026 Asian Para Games in Japan

ASM, Philippine Canadian Inquirer
October 23, 2026

Photo courtesy: Philippine News Agency

NAGOYA, Japan — Filipino para table tennis players Lhey Manginsay and Wilfred Redulla secured a silver medal at the 5th Asian Para Games on October 22, giving the Philippines its fifth medal of the tournament.

The pair reached the mixed doubles Class XD17 final at Sky Hall Toyota before losing to China’s Zhao Shuai and Xiong Guiyan in four games, 7-11, 11-9, 4-11, 6-11.

Despite missing out on gold, Manginsay and Redulla delivered the country’s first table tennis medal at the Asian Para Games since 2018.

Their silver-medal finish brought the Philippine delegation’s tally to two golds, two silvers and one bronze, placing the country 16th in the overall standings at the time.

The Filipino duo earned their place in the championship match after surviving a closely contested semifinal against Japan’s Yuri Tomono and Koyo Iwabuchi.

Trailing two games to one, Manginsay and Redulla recovered to win the fourth game, 15-13, before securing the deciding game, 11-8. They completed the five-game victory with scores of 12-10, 11-13, 9-11, 15-13, 11-8.

In the final, the Chinese pair took the opening game before the Filipinos responded with an 11-9 win in the second. Zhao and Xiong then claimed the next two games to secure the gold medal.

The achievement also marked an important moment for Philippine para table tennis, which last reached the Asian Para Games podium through the late Josephine Medina.

Medina, a Paralympic bronze medalist, won silver in women’s singles at the 2018 Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Other Filipino athletes continue campaign

Elsewhere in the competition, visually impaired runner Cyril Cloyd Ongcoy narrowly missed the podium in the men’s 1,500-meter T12/T13 event.

Ongcoy finished fourth with a time of four minutes and 23.19 seconds after Uzbekistan’s Fakhriddin Khamraev, who had initially been disqualified, was reinstated as the gold medalist.

Khamraev recorded 4:07.47, followed by Jordan’s Nabeel Maqableh with 4:07.97 and India’s Sharath Makanahalli with 4:11.01.

In swimming, Arjay Alegarbes placed fifth in the men’s 100-meter butterfly S14 final, clocking 58.93 seconds at the Nagoya City General Gymnasium.

The Philippine delegation also had finalists in several swimming events, including Ernie Gawilan, Edwin Villanueva, Muhaimin Ulag and Raemund Adefuin.

Meanwhile, Arman Dino did not advance to the men’s 400-meter T47 final after recording 56.67 seconds in his qualifying heat.

The Philippine wheelchair basketball team concluded its campaign in eighth place following a 53-61 loss to Kuwait.

Attention now turns to cycling, where Patrick Lee, Arthus Bucay and Nikko Peralta are scheduled to compete in the men’s C4-5 road race on October 23 at the Cycle Sports Center on the Izu Peninsula.

The 5th Asian Para Games continue through October 24, with Filipino athletes seeking to add to the country’s medal tally before the tournament concludes.