Josephine Medina
A Filipino Paralympic pioneer who battled through visual impairment to win her nation's first medal in table tennis.
1970–2021 (age 51)·Filipino Paralympic table tennis player·Birthday: March 20·Generation X
Biography
Josephine Medina carved her path in sports against considerable odds. Born with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that severely limited her sight, she discovered table tennis in her thirties, a late start for any elite athlete. Her dedication was ferocious, training for hours to master a game played at lightning speed. That work culminated at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, where her bronze medal in the Class 8 singles event was not just a personal triumph but a historic first for the Philippines in Paralympic table tennis. Beyond the podium, Medina became a symbol of resilience, advocating for athletes with disabilities and proving that profound achievement has no age limit. Her sudden passing in 2021 left a void in Philippine sports, but her legacy as a determined trailblazer endures.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Josephine was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Josephine Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Josephine's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2021Died at 51
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
Key Achievements
- Won the bronze medal in women's singles Class 8 table tennis at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio.
- Secured the Philippines' first-ever Paralympic medal in the sport of table tennis.
- Competed for the Philippines in two consecutive Paralympic Games, in 2012 and 2016.
Did You Know?
She only began playing table tennis seriously at the age of 36.
Medina was also a talented singer and once performed the Philippine national anthem at a major sporting event.
Her visual impairment, retinitis pigmentosa, is a genetic condition that causes loss of peripheral vision.
“I listen to the ball's sound and feel its spin; my eyes are in my hands.”
