Two Thomasians produced a gold and a bronze medal at the 10th Ju-Jitsu Asian Championship on Saturday, July 19, in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Former Tiger Judoka Annie Ramirez captured the gold medal after successfully defending her title in the women’s -57-kilogram division, while current Tiger Lady Judoka Eliecha Malilay claimed bronze in the women’s -45-kilogram class.
The triumph gave Ramirez her third straight Asian Championship gold medal after winning the previous two editions of the biennial tournament.
The 35-year-old will next compete in the JJIF World Championships in Rome, Italy, this October in pursuit of another world title.
Malilay, meanwhile, captured the bronze medal in the women’s -45-kilogram division in her debut at the adult level.
The UST standout opened her campaign with a victory over Kazakhstan’s Darina Akhmetova before falling to the United Arab Emirates’ Mariam Alali.
She stayed in medal contention by defeating India’s Rupsajir Ronghangpi and Kanchan Basera before beating Chinese Taipei’s Chen Jou-An to secure the bronze medal.
Malilay, a sports management student, was part of UST’s UAAP Season 88 women’s judo championship team. UST also swept the high school and collegiate judo titles in Season 88. Jay-z V. Perez
