Mangin, Barbosa fall short of more PH taekwondo golds in Asian Games

KICK. China's Jingyue Ma in action during the taekwondo women's -49kg gold medal match against the Philippines' Tachiana Keizha Mangin (right) in the 2026 Asian Games.

Andy Chua/REUTERS

World junior champion Tachiana Mangin and three-time Southeast Asian Games titlist Kurt Barbosa lose their respective title bouts as they add a pair of taekwondo silvers to the Philippines' haul in the 2026 Asian Games

AT A GLANCE

• The Philippines missed out on two gold medals in taekwondo at the 2026 Asian Games, with Tachiana Mangin and Kurt Barbosa winning silver instead.
• Mangin lost to China's Ma Jingyue in the women's -49kg final, while Barbosa was defeated by Kazakhstan's Tamirlan Tleules in the men's -58kg final.
• Despite the losses, both athletes had strong performances, with Mangin making her Asian Games debut and Barbosa improving from his previous competition results.

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MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines missed out on two additional gold medals in the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, after taekwondo jins Tachiana Mangin and Kurt Barbosa settled for a pair of silvers on Friday, October 2.

Barbosa and Mangin lost their respective title bouts at the Toyohashi Gymnasium as they fell short of delivering another gold in the sport after Jeus Gabriel Derick Yape ruled in the mixed individual virtual taekwondo earlier in the day. 

Mangin saw her superb run come to a disappointing end at the hands of China’s Ma Jingyue, who pulled off a 2-0 victory in the women’s -49kg finale. 

The two rounds each ended in a scoreless tie, but the Chinese won both by superiority to claim the gold medal.

Still, it was a promising campaign for Mangin as she won a medal on her Asian Games debut at just 18 years old.

A former world junior champion and a Southeast Asian Games titlist, Mangin beat Kazakhstan’s Rita Bakisheva in the round of 16, Chinese Taipei’s Wang Chieh-ling in the quarterfinals, and Japan’s Ruka Okamoto in the semifinals to get a crack at the crown.

Meanwhile, Barbosa absorbed a 16-14, 15-2 loss to Kazakhstan’s Tamirlan Tleules in the men’s -58kg final.

After losing a nip-and-tuck opening frame, Barbosa sought to pull level in the second round, but Tleules landed two straight head kicks to seal his golden victory. 

Despite the defeat, the pride of Abra redeemed himself from his campaign in the 2023 edition in Hangzhou, China, where he lost his opening match in the round of 32. The Tokyo Olympian also bounced back from his failed four-peat bid in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Barbosa reached the final by stunning Asian champion Jafar Aldaoud of Jordan in the semifinals, following up on his victories over Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Essa Almushraf in the round of 16 and Japan’s Hidetaka Maeda in the quarterfinals. 

A win by either Mangin and Barbosa would have marked the first time the Philippines won at least five golds in an Asian Games edition since its seven-gold haul in 1962.

The country currently has four golds courtesy of Yape, gymnastics star Carlos Yulo (with two golds), and pole vault ace EJ Obiena. – Rappler.com