WITH their majestic UAAP billing on the line, the UST Judokas simply refused to go home empty-handed as they fought tooth-and-nail in the Philippine National Judo Championship last April 29 and 30 at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
Despite failing to win a gold, coach Jojo Arce’s wards still made their presence felt with two silvers and four bronzes. National Juniors Judo champion Jigoro De Castro and Austin Ngo accounted for UST’s double-silver harvest, while Romeo Arellano, Angelica Ciruela and black-belters Bernard Gatchalian and Joana De Castro chalked out a bronze each that added to the Espana-based judokas’ medal output.
“My wards gave their best and did well in the tournament,” coach Jojo Arce told the Varsitarian.
De Castro faced his semi-finals opponent in the -100 division and barely escaped with a yuko (1/4 point). The UST judoka went on to the finals in redemptive fashion and scored a pivotal waza-ari (half-point), but succumbed to the 25-count rule with 3:14 to go.
On the other hand, Ngo ruled the +100 kg despite nursing a shoulder injury in the semifinals. In the finals, Ngo managed to elude the grappling tactics of Arjeg Gutierrez from Stanley’s Judo Club, but his shoulder injury slowed him down in the ensuing seconds, allowing his opponent to wrest the gold with a last-minute koka (1/8 point).
Ngo’s bridesmaid finish came at the onset of Arellano’s bronze-winning performance in the -73 kg mat. Arellano, whose impenetrable guard and well-timed throws in the eliminations carried him to a decent finish alongside fellow Thomasians Gatchalian, Ciruela and De Castro.
Ciruela dominated her opponent in the early stages of their -78 kg encounter. But after she and her opponent attempted to dislodge each other with simultaneous hip throws, Ciruela hit the mat first. The wrong landing proved costly for Ciruela as the referee awarded an ippon (whole point) to her opponent for the win.
Gatchalian’s impressive elimination-round showing in the +100 kg class earned him a semifinal ticket, where he engaged a hefty Francis Villanueva in a fearsome tussle before falling prey to the 25-count rule with 1:55 left on the clock.
In an ironic twist of fate, De Castro and Lady Judoka team captain Vanessa Roa faced each other in a down-the-wire match for the -57 kg bronze. The all-UST showdown shoved two golden-score rounds (where the first to register a point wins) before the judges declared De Castro the winner for being the “more” aggressive fighter.
Meanwhile, Season 69 MVP Gerena, who also topped the -60 kg gold in the NCR Selections, forfeited his slot in the NCR team after failing to return in time for the national tournament following a family engagement in the US last month.
“It was a big loss for us,” Arce said. “With his performance in the past tournaments, we expected him to bag the gold in his division.” Emil Karlo A. Dela Cruz
