Filipina Paralympic medalist Josephine Medina acknowledged that she has been preparing for a top international tournament using her own money.

Medina has also been training for the World Para Table Tennis Championships in Slovenia in October without a coach.

“It’s true. I paid for all of my qualifying tournaments just to compete in the world championships,’’ said Medina, who won a bronze medal in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics.

After the 2016 Paralympics, Medina won a gold in a tournament in Thailand and followed it up with another title at a Las Vegas meet.

She pocketed a bronze during the Taichung Open in Taiwan last July, which earned her a spot at the worlds, which open October 15.

“I trained on my own but I’m thankful that I qualified. It’s another chance to give honor to our country,” Medina said.

The Philippine Sports Association of the Differently Abled (Philspada) told Medina that there was no budget available for three qualifying tournaments, forcing her to find ways to compete overseas.

ABS-CBN News tried to get the side of Philspada, which did not respond to a request for interview at the time this story was posted.

With limited resources, Medina trained without a coach 6 months before the Asian Para Games in Indonesia.

“Players from other countries have their own trainers and coaches. Here, I have to do it all by myself,” Medina said.

Upon hearing about Medina’s predicament, Philippine Sports Commission chairman Butch Ramirez encouraged her to visit his office.

Medina is 1 of 8 platinum athletes identified by the PSC who will receive all-out support from the government and Ramirez assured all the help she could get.

“Josephine can visit me at the office any time and submit a formal report on her foreign exposure and expenses. The PSC will be happy to accommodate her,” he said.

(For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.)