Former UAAP Judo MVP seeks redemption

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TWO-TIME UAAP judo MVP Al Llamas was the gold medal favorite last season. But a surprising loss in the elimination round made him settle for bronze.

A quick throw by University of the East Red Warrior Khalid Macadadaya denied Llamas a slot in the championship round, where he was part in the last four years. Macadadaya, ironically, failed to reach the medal stages.

Despite the loss, Llamas reached the bronze medal stage after dominating the repechage round, where defeated athletes in the earlier rounds compete for chance to win bronze.

“[I had] mixed emotions, and I’m disappointed. Imagine, a year of training and all of the preparation is lost after a match that did not even last longer than five minutes,” Llamas said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

“Everything went blank and it felt so heavy.”

Time for redemption

Llamas reflected on his defeat for almost two months and with the help of his teammates, mentors and family members, he was able to move forward.

That painful memory now fuels his drive for the gold medal this season.

“I need to lead the team back to the championship and I need to push my teammates so we would not have to rely on just one player,” Llamas said.

The 23-year-old Marketing Management student also said that a championship title this season is even more possible after his teammates collected a total of 20 medals in the Diliman Slam judo tournament held last June.

“Looking back, the bronze medal would be my favourite among my medals. It stands out among my other medals because of the life lessons that came with it.”

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