DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—Team Philippines surpassed its previous performance at the Asian Youth Para Games in just two days of competition after Ric Daniel Pasadilla and Raemond Adefuin delivered three more gold medals in para swimming at the Hamdan Sports Complex here.
Pasadilla, a 13-year-old student of Pototan National Comprehensive High School in Iloilo, dominated the boys 12-16 200-meter individual medley SM 4-14 multi-class event with a time of 2 minutes and 36.36 seconds then returned and ruled the 100m backstroke S1-2/S6-14 multi-class division with 1:11.39.
In addition to his two gold medals, Pasadilla also claimed a silver in the boys 12-16 100m freestyle S1-14 multi-class S10 with 1:06.13, just two seconds behind eventual gold medalist Sepanta Navidi of Iran (1:04.32).
Adefuin, who won the country’s first gold medal the previous day, also captured his second gold after triumphing in the boys 12-16 200m IM SM 5-14 multi-class with a time of 2:57.17 ahead of Malaysia’s Wahyu Eqwal Bin Nazrey (3:16.97) and Thailand’s Tongkunlong Chaitawittanun (4:08.92).
These victories marked the fourth gold medal for the Philippine delegation, eclipsing the overall haul from the 2021 edition in Manama, Bahrain, where they brought home one gold, six silver, and two bronze medals.
“I was very nervous because I saw my opponents and they were very lean and tall,” said Pasadilla, a multi-medalist at the 2025 Palarong Pambansa, in Filipino.
“I am very thankful for my win. I hope I can make it to the Paralympics someday,” he added.
Para swimmers Mary Hannah Diesto, Zach Lucas Obsioma, Bladimir Sebastian Gonzales, and para table tennis players Lhey Manginsay and Barge Cabañero also accounted for silver and bronze medals, hiking the Nationals’ overall medal tally to four gold, six silver and three bronze medals as of 2 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 12 (Philippine time).
Diesto settled for silver medals in the girls 12-15 400m free S6-14 multi-class (6:01.70) and girls 12-15 100m backstroke S1-2/S6-14 multi-class (1:34.07), even as Obsioma, the youngest in the PH contingent at 12 years old, clocked 7:37.4 to also bag the silver in the boys 12-16 400m free S6-14 multi-class.
“I feel like dying in there, it was tough!” admitted Obsioma in Filipino.
Manginsay, for her part, lost to India’s Baby Sahana Ravi, 11-6, 5-11, 8-11, in her final match in the women’s U23 singles Class 9 at the Dubai Club for People of Determination.
“I feel sad that I wasn’t consistent with my backhand, but I learned a valuable lesson to be patient with every point,” said the 22-year-old Manginsay, the country’s flag-bearer in this edition.
Gonzales, meanwhile, timed 5:09.73 in the boys 12-16 400m free S6-14 multi-class, while Cabañero (men’s singles class 6-7) and Tuala (men’s U23 singles class 8) lost in the semifinals of their respective para table tennis events.
