Lhey Manginsay and Wilfred Redulla secured a silver medal for the Philippines in table tennis at the 5th Asian Para Games on Thursday, providing a bright spot for the national contingent after visually impaired runner Cyril Cloyd Ongcoy was stripped of his bronze-medal finish.
The Filipino duo put up a determined fight against Chinese standouts Zhao Shuai, a Paralympic champion, and Xiong Guiyan, an Asian Para Games silver medalist, before falling 7-11, 11-9, 4-11, 6-11 in the mixed doubles Class XD17 final at Sky Hall Toyota.
Manginsay and Redulla’s podium finish marked the Philippines’ first table tennis medal since the late Paralympic bronze medalist Josephine Medina won silver at the 2018 Jakarta edition.
The silver also boosted the country’s medal tally to two golds, two silvers and a bronze, placing the Philippines 16th overall as of Thursday.
The breakthrough came amid disappointment for Ongcoy, who lost his initial bronze-medal standing in the men’s 1,500-meter T12/T13 after officials reinstated Uzbekistan’s Fakhriddin Khamraev, who had initially been disqualified.
Khamraev was credited with the gold medal in 4 minutes and 7.47 seconds, while Jordan’s Nabeel Maqableh and India’s Sharath Makanahalli settled for silver and bronze in 4:07.97 and 4:11.01, respectively. Ongcoy, who had initially placed third in 4:23.19 on Wednesday night, was relegated to fourth.
Despite the reversal, the 23-year-old remained upbeat about his debut in the continental para-sports competition.
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“Proud pa rin ako kasi first time kong maglaro sa Asian Para Games dahil mga kalaban ko, beterano na,” he said.
Meanwhile, Arjay Alegarbes missed out on a second gold medal after placing fifth in the men’s 100-meter butterfly S14 in 58.93 seconds at the Rainbow Pool of the Nagoya City General Gymnasium.
The Philippines also fielded several swimmers in Thursday’s finals as the team sought to add to its medal collection. Gold medalist Ernie Gawilan competed in the men’s 100-meter backstroke S7, while Edwin Villanueva entered the men’s 100-meter breaststroke SB7 and 100-meter backstroke S8.
Muhaimin Ulag was also entered in the men’s 100-meter butterfly S14, while Raemund Adefuin competed in the men’s 100-meter backstroke S6. The mixed 4×50-meter freestyle relay team also saw action.
Swimming had accounted for all of the Philippines’ medals before Manginsay and Redulla delivered the table tennis breakthrough, producing two golds, one silver and one bronze.
On the track, Arman Dino fell short of advancing to the final of the men’s 400-meter T47 after clocking 56.67 seconds to finish fifth in the first of two morning heats. Dino lost his right hand in a “Super Lolo” firecracker accident when he was seven years old.
The Philippines will have another opportunity to add to its medal tally in cycling on Friday, with Patrick Lee, Arthus Bucay and Nikko Peralta slated to compete in the men’s C4-5 road race at the Cycle Sports Center on the Izu Peninsula.
In wheelchair basketball, the national team bowed to Kuwait, 61-53, at the Aichi International Arena to finish eighth and last in the competition.
Despite the defeat, the Filipinos recorded their best finish in the event, improving on their 10th-place showing at the Hangzhou edition three years ago.
