Kurt Barbosa bags silver in Asian Games taekwondo

Tokyo Olympian and taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa captured another silver medal for the Philippines in the 2026 Asian Games after falling short against Kazakhstan’s Tamirlan Tlueles in the men’s 58kg final on Friday in Japan.

This is the Philippines’ eighth silver medal in the Asian Games.

This is the Philippines’ eighth silver medal in the Asian Games, with fellow jin Tachiana Mangin also claiming silver in the women’s 49kg final less than an hour earlier.

Barbosa defeated Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Essa Almushraf in the Round of 16 before dispatching Japan’s Hidetaka Maeda in the quarterfinals.

In the semifinals, Barbosa defeated Jordan’s Jafar Aldaoud to book his spot in the final.

The Philippines currently has four gold medals, eight silver medals, and 16 bronze medals in the Asiad.

—Justin Kenneth Carandang/JMB, GMA News