By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
The Philippine jiu-jitsu team struck anew, bringing home three golds and one bronze medal from the 2023 Asian Jiu-Jitsu Championships in Bangkok, Thailand recently.
Meggie Ochoa, Annie Ramirez and Dylan Chrystle Valmores ruled their respective divisions while Marc Alexander Lim settled for the bronze in the regional tournament.
Ochoa remained untouchable in the women’s adult -48kg after routing Singapore’s May Yong in the final, 15-0, while Ramirez toppled Kazakhstan’s Galina Duvanova to reign supreme in the women’s -57kg.
Valmores, for her part, made her presence known by ruling the women’s +70kg by trouncing Thailand’s Pornthip Chansonthi.
Prior to Ochoa’s triumph, she dominated Thailand’s Yahyi Sasithon in the Round of 16, Vietnam’s Le Thi My Hien in the quarterfinals and Kim Na Hyun of South Korea in the semis.
Ramirez, meanwhile, earned an opening round before destroying China’s Lou Yi Bei, Vietnam’s Van Dang and Malaysia’s Cassandra Poyong.
Equally unstoppable was Valmores, who toppled India’s Pinki Sangwan, Kzakhstan’s Assel Kabdygalymova and Jordan’s Alia al Nahawi en route to the finals.
Lim, meanwhile, had to fight vigorously in the loser’s bracket to snatch the bronze medal in the men’s -69kg with a victory over Mongolia’s Chinzorig Elbegsaikhan.
