NAGOYA, Japan — Built on two years of trust and teamwork, Lhey Manginsay and Wilfred Redulla rallied from the brink of defeat twice to win mixed doubles Class XD17 silver, Thursday, October 22, 2026, ending the Philippines’ eight-year medal drought in table tennis at the Asian Para Games.
The pair first teamed up after joining the national squad in 2024 and quickly showed their potential, winning gold in their first tournament together at the ITTF Para Future Taipei.
“Since nakapasok po kami sa national team, kami na po talaga pinag-partner noong 2024 (Since we joined the national team, we have been partners since 2024),” Redulla said.
Their chemistry faced a tougher test in Aichi-Nagoya, where they had to dig deep to keep their medal hopes alive.
Trailing India by two games in the quarterfinals, Manginsay and Redulla overcame their nerves and won the next three games to advance to the semifinals.
Against Japan’s Koyo Iwabuchi and Yuri Tomono, whom Manginsay described as the world’s third-ranked pair, the Filipinos again found themselves in trouble. They fell behind, 3-8, in the deciding fifth game before mounting another comeback.
“Huwag isipin yung lamang, basta kuha lang (Don’t focus on the lead; just keep winning points),” they recalled.
The Filipinos fought back to complete a 3-2 victory and secure a place in the final.
For Manginsay, reaching the gold-medal match still felt difficult to believe.
“This feels surreal pa rin until now,” she said. “Hindi kami nag-lay low hanggang sa huling puntos. Nilaban po namin with all our heart (We never let up until the final point. We fought with all our heart).”
Redulla also found redemption in doubles after narrowly missing a singles medal. Rather than dwell on the disappointment, he focused on helping their partnership deliver.
“Alam namin, medyo mahirap talaga yung lalabanan namin. Matataas po talaga yung ranks nila (We knew our opponents would be tough because they were highly ranked),” he said. “Pero siyempre, with our chemistry and tiwala sa isa’t isa, nilaban po namin (But with our chemistry and trust in each other, we fought on).”
Their bid for gold ended against China’s Zhao Shuai and Xiong Guiyan, who won, 11-7, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6, at Sky Hall Toyota.
Still, the silver marked a breakthrough for Philippine table tennis at the Asian Para Games. The country had not won a medal in the sport since Josephine Medina claimed silver at the 2018 Jakarta Games.
For Manginsay, the medal also carries practical significance beyond the podium. She said part of their medal incentives would go toward supporting their families and investing in their athletic development.
“Siyempre, yung incentives is for family, and para mag-invest din po sa sarili namin para mas ma-improve pa po yung performance (Of course, the incentives will help our families, and we can also invest in ourselves to improve our performance),” she said.
Beyond the silver, Manginsay and Redulla’s breakthrough underscored the power of trust and teamwork under pressure, putting Philippine para table tennis back on the Asian Para Games podium for the first time since 2018. PSC MEDIA POOL