PARALYMPIC bronze medalist Josephine Medina needs a coach and has been preparing for this year’s World Para Table Tennis Championships in Slovenia without one.
And to make it to the tournament, Medina had to spend on her own.
“It’s true. I paid for all of my qualifying tournaments just to compete in the world championships,’’ said the 47-year-old table netter, who is ranked seventh in the world.
Medina talked about her participation during the PSC-POC Media Group live chat at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Vito Cruz.
Medina, who was afflicted with poliomyelitis that affected the length of her legs, pocketed the gold medal in a tournament in Thailand.
This is right after taking home the bronze in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio De Janeiro. Medina followed this up with another singles’ gold medal in a meet held in Las Vegas on the same year.
After that, she earned a silver and bronze during the Taichung Open in Taiwan July 2017, allowing her to book a slot in the Slovenia worlds on Oct. 15.
Medina said she joined these tournaments out of her own pocket without financial help from the country’s national paralympic committee, the Philippine Sports Association of the Differently Abled.
“I trained on my own but I’m thankful that I qualified. It’s another chance to give honor to our country,’’ said Medina.
She is now one of eight platinum athletes identified by the Philippine Sports Commission to receive all-out support from the government.
Medina pointed out that Philspada officials told her there was no budget for these three qualifying tournaments, forcing her to find ways to compete overseas.
With the Asian Para Games in Indonesia barely six months away, she’s no longer confident in signing up a coach that could train and monitor her on a daily basis.
“Players from other countries have their own trainers and coaches. Here, I have to do it all by myself,’’ said Medina.
To keep her in competitive form, Medina took the initiative of playing regularly with the able-bodied men’s team of top UAAP schools UST, UE and NU and Emilio Aguinaldo College.
PSC chair Butch Ramirez said Josephine can visit him at the office anytime and submit a formal report of her foreign exposure and expenses.
“The PSC will be happy to accommodate her,” said Ramirez.
