Asian Games: Khy Progella, Sofiah Pagara earn historic beach volleyball bronze

Manila Times - Oct 3, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — The young pair of Khy Progella and Sofiah Pagara gifted the Philippines its first-ever Asian Games medal in beach volleyball. Progella and Pagara copped a historic bronze medal in the 2026 Asian Games beach volleyball event after outlasting China’s duo of Shuting Cao and Jie Dong, 21-13, 21-23, 15-13, on Friday at the Hekinan Ryokuchi Beach Court in Aichi, Japan. This is the first time the Philippines has earned a podium finish in beach volleyball since the sport was introduced in the Asian Games in 1998. Progella, 20, and Pagara, 21, are both beach volleyball standouts of the University of Santo Tomas. The young guns made sure to earn a medal finish after the exit of Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons on Wednesday, when the two Alas veterans fell to Thailand’s Worapeerachayakorn Kongphopsarutawadee and Taravadee Naraphornrapat, 17-21, 21-12, 13-15, in the quarterfinals.

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Eumir Marcial echoes same sentiments in Carlo Paalam’s silver

Oct 3, 2026

Eumir Marcial echoes same sentiments in Carlo Paalam’s silver

MANILA, Philippines — Two-time Olympic medalist Carlo Paalam’s loss in the 2026 Asian Games gold-medal match hit close to home for Olympic boxer Eumir Marcial, who had suffered the same fate. Paalam had the chance to end the country’s 16-year gold medal drought, but he suffered a split-decision loss to Japan’s rising star Rui Yamaguchi, 3-2, in the men’s 52-kilogram (kg) division on Friday at the Nishio Gymnasium in Aichi, Japan. In the 2022 Hangzhou Games (held in 2023), Marcial also had a shot for gold in the men’s 80kg, but he settled for silver after bowing to China’s Tanglatihan Touhetaerbieke in a closely contested bout. The common denominator of the two Filipino Olympians’ fates is that Paalam lost to hometown bet Yamaguchi, and Marcial also lost to host China in the finals. Paalam expressed his frustration after the match against his Japanese foe, stating that the referee halted his momentum.  "I'm so good, but the referee again. I don't know, not a good decision. I don’t know about the decision of the referee; he was paying attention so much to me,” Paalam told the media in Filipino via the Philippine Olympic Committee right after stepping out of the ring. “If the momentum is on my side, he stops me. The referee looks like he has a magnifying glass on me,” he added. Marcial then posted on his Facebook account, recalling his 2023 Asian Games stint. “Way back at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, I also felt that I was robbed in the finals. I thought I had won the fight and would bring home the gold for the Philippines in Asian Games boxing after 13 years,” he wrote.  “We lost in the finals against the host country. What just happened is not new.” But Marcial said that whatever happens, one should move forward. “Whatever the decision, we need to accept it, move forward to the next fight, and continue chasing our dream. Congratulations, tol (brother). Salute.” Marcial skipped the 2026 Asian Games due to a tight schedule since he just had a professional boxing match in the United States, knocking out American Omar Ulises Huerta. The Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines (ABAP) and Marcial had a joint decision to skip the Japan Games since rushing back to amateur format after his professional bout could pose an unnecessary physical and health risk.