Ma. Ravinia Carpena Wins Asian Para Games Bronze With Career-Best Throw
Making her Asian Para Games debut, the Filipina shot put standout delivered a personal record of 11.39 meters, securing another medal for the Philippines and proving she belongs among Asia's elite para-athletes.
Two centimeters.
That was all that separated Filipina para-athlete Ma—Ravinia Carpena from a silver medal at the 2026 Asian Para Games.
But while the narrow margin may have left her wondering what could have been, the 5th Asian Para Games became the stage for one of the most memorable performances of her career.
Competing in the women's shot put F20 event on Friday, Carpena delivered a personal-best throw of 11.39 meters, securing the bronze medal and adding another podium finish to the Philippine delegation's campaign in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
For an athlete making her Asian Para Games debut, it was a remarkable achievement against some of the continent's strongest competitors.
A new personal record. An international podium finish. And another proud moment for Philippine para sports.
A Career-Best Throw When It Mattered Most
Carpena entered the competition determined to deliver her strongest performance.
Standing against experienced international rivals, the Filipina needed to produce a throw capable of challenging for a podium position.
She responded with the best mark of her career.
Her 11.39-meter effort placed her third overall, just 0.02 meters behind Malaysia's Siti Noraidah Sherman, who captured silver with a throw of 11.41 meters.
Japan's Reina Hori dominated the event, winning gold with an Asian-record throw of 13.57 meters.
The final results highlighted both the strength of the competition and how closely contested the battle for silver and bronze had become.
