Philippine Asian News Today Vol 20 No 22 | Page 30

RP NEWS
30
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY November 16 - 30, 2018
Pinay jiu-jitsu fighter Meggie Ochoa on world
title: I didn’t expect to win
Although she knew she
worked hard all year long, Meggie
Ochoa acknowledged she did not
expect to take the gold in the -49
kilogram division of the Ju-Jitsu
International Federation (JJIF) World
Championships in Malmo, Sweden.
Ochoa defeated Canada’s Ni
Ni Vicky Hoang in the final 2-0 to
become the first Asian to get a gold
medal at the worlds.
“Sa totoo lang hindi ko in-expect
ito. The entire year I’ve been really
putting so much pressure on my self
because of the Asian Games. Todo
bigay lahat. For this particular world
championship . . . I was so excited
to compete,” said the 28-year-old
during the press conference arranged
by Bughaw Digital.
En route to the finals, Ochoa
beat Morgane Houx of France 4-0,
Anna Augustyn-Mitkowska of Poland
2-0, then submitted Laetitia Boes of
France in the semifinal.
Prior to her gold medal win at
the worlds, Ochoa also bagged a
bronze in the 2018 Asian Games and
a gold in the Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu
World Tournament last March.
This is the first time the
Philippines participated at the worlds.
One of the highlights of her stint
in Sweden was when she pulled off a
knee bar against Boes.
“May ginawa akong never kong
nagawa before, na knee bar ko siya.
Hindi ko ‘yun game pero bigla siyang
lumabas. Nagulat siya kasi mabilis
ko ring nagawa,” Ochoa said, adding
that her victory is proof that Pinoys
can excel in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
“It’s technique over size and
power. Alam natin na may size
disadvantage tayo and pwede nating
gamitin ‘yung talino at puso natin
para mag-excel sa sport na ito. Alam
nating kakayanin ng Pilipino basta
subukan lang nila,” said Ochoa.
Meanwhile, she said she looks
forward to competing in the 2019
Southeast Asain Games.
“Syempre, excited talaga kasi
dito sa Pilipinas gaganapin ang SEA
Meggie Ochoa shows off the gold medal
she won in the Jiu-Jitsu International
Federation World Championships Sunday.
Dennis Gasgonia, ABS-CBN News
Games. Exciting ‘yan kasi territory mo
‘yan,” she said. (abs-cbn )
Martinez going the way of So
SEEKING to expand his horizon,
two-time Winter Olympic Games
veteran Michael Martinez will likely skip
the 30th Southeast Asian Games the
country will host next year, according
to Philippine Skating Union sports
director Pico Martin.
“Michael wants to venture
into other things so there is a huge
possibility we might not see him in
Manila for the SEA Game next year,”
Martin said on the sidelines of the
Philippine National Figure Skating
Championships that ended yesterday
at the Mall of Asia skating rink.
Martinez, who turned 22 last Nov.
4, had been expected to represent the
Philippines and try to win the gold in
the men’s figure skating event in front
of hometown fans. He captured the
silver behind Malaysian champion
Julian Yee in the 2017 Malaysia SEA
Games.
Martin said the US-based
Martinez, the country’s lone figure
skating representative in the 2014
Sochi and 2018 Pyeonchang Winter
Games, recently acquired his
American green card and is in the
process of securing US citizenship.
He is going the way of chess
player Wesley So, who has secured
US citizenship and now plays for the
United States.
“We haven’t heard from him
since the last Pyeongchang Winter
Olympics (in February) but Michael
wants to pursue other interests such
as videography and law. We can
only wish him well,” said Martin, who credits the figure skater for the
growing popularity of ice skating in
the Philippines.
“Our regrets that Michael
won’t be around for the Philippine
SEA Games but we wish him all the
success in his future endeavors,” PSU
president Josie Veguillas said.
“Without his achievements,
figure staking in the country won’t
be where it is now,” he noted, adding
the PSU has a wider pool of talents
to choose from now since Martinez
made his Winter Games debut in
Sochi, Russia four years ago.
As the first skater from Southeast
Asia to see action in the quadrennial
meet, the lean and lanky skater
made the country proud by placing
19th overall in the men’s individual
figure skating competitions with an
aggregate score of 184.25 points,
counting his 64.81 points in the short
program.
He
was
a
last-minute
replacement in the Pyeongchang Winter Games. As a first alternate,
he was awarded a slot when Sweden
withdrew from the competition.
Martinez placed 28th overall in
the short program and failed to make
the cut of 24 skaters advancing to the
free skate routine.
Martinez began skating at the
SM Southmall ice skating rink at the
young age of 9 as a means to relieve
his asthmatic condition.
The young boy took to the sport
like fish to water, winning his first
international crown in the 2012 Skate
Romania while placing fifth in the
world junior skating championships
the next year.
In 2013, Martinez achieved
a milestone by placing seventh
at the Nebelhorn Trophy, the last
Winter Olympic qualifying event, in
Oberstdof, Germany to book his spot
for the Sochi Games.(B. pedralvez,
Malaya)
lie down and die and went on an 11-
3 windup en route to their first finals
appearance since 1986, the year they
won the crown behind a team led
by Benjie Paras and coached by Joe
Lipa.
Game 1 of the best-of-3 finals is
set this Saturday, Dec. 1, at the Mall
of Asia Arena.
Desiderio capped UP’s fightback
with a clutch jumper over the out-
stretched arms of Falcon Sean Man-
ganti that pegged an 89-87 count,
only 6.6 ticks left.
Adamson had a chance to steal
the win but Lastimosa’s last-gasp tri-
ple missed its mark as the Maroons’
faithful celebrated frenzy and the Ad-
amson gallery wept in agony.
Juan Gomez De Liano led UP
with a game-high 30 points, to go with
six rebounds and two assists, while
Desiderio notched a double-double of 16 markers and 11 boards.
Akhuetie, the league’s leading
MVP contender, added 13 and 17 as
the third-ranked Maroons completed
a stunning ouster of the No. 2 and
twice-to-beat Falcons.
An emotional Maroons coach
Bo Perasol said the team’s unlikely
run to the Big Dance is a product of
the hard work of his charges.
“I made that promise (change
the culture in UP). But before that,
I made a promise to God that if we
made it to the finals, the glory would
belong to Him. So, I thank Him,” said
Perasol.
“We made it. It wasn’t without
hard work, it wasn’t without tears and
challenges,” he added.
UP took a 51-42 lead at the half
and led by as much as 60-44 on a
Juan Gomez De Liano basket at the
5:56 mark of the third canto.
The Falcons battled back and grabbed a 67-64 cushion going into
the payoff period.
The Maroons seemed to have
the victory in the bag after taking a
78-75 buffer on a Jun Manzo runner
with 10.7 seconds remaining in the
fourth.
But Lastimosa sank a left cor-
ner trey to tie the match at 78-78 and
Desiderio missed a three-pointer with
2.6 seconds left.
Jerrick Ahanmisi paced Adam-
son with 20 points while Lastimosa,
6-foot-6 Cameroonian reinforcement
Papi Sarr, and Simon Camacho had
17, 16, and 10, respectively.
Added Perasol: “We could have
already given up. I told myself that if I
cannot stand for my team, if I cannot
be confident for my team, if I cannot
believe in my team, who else would
believe? I know that this team is go-
ing to go through it.” ( MICHAEL JU-
GADO, Malaya)
UP Maroons sustain title dreams
UNIVERSITY of the Philippines
ended 32 long and weary years of
solitude yesterday against an equally-
determined Adamson University.
The Fighting Maroons scored a
breathtaking 89-87 decision in over-
time in their do-or-die Final Four duel
to gain a finals slot opposite defend-
ing champion Ateneo in the 81st
UAAP basketball tournament before a
jampacked crowd at the Smart Ara-
neta Coliseum.
Playing in its biggest game in
three decades and in front of 20,944
fans, UP sustained its title dreams
despite squandering a 16-point third
quarter spread. The Maroons stepped
up when it mattered most behind the
likes of Diego Dario, 6-foot-8 Nigerian
import Bright Akhuetie, and graduat-
ing skipper Paul Desiderio.
A Jerom Lastimosa three-point-
er gave Adamson an 84-78 lead in
overtime but the Maroons refused to
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