Jiu jitsu teams from Benguet and Baguio City brought home a 16 gold, 14 silver, and six bronze medals during the Cebu International Open Gi and No-Gi Jiu Jitsu Championship 2023 and Fightyard Contender III simultaneously held on March 4 to 5.
Dahn Anthony Peliño led the other athletes from Ronin Brazilian Jiu Jitsu La Trinidad, Benguet during the Cebu International Open organized by the Asian Sport Jiu Jitsu Federation at the Robinson’s Galleria.
Peliño won three gold in the gi via points, no gi, and has emerged on top out of 22 competitors in the gi open and added one bronze in the no gi open competition.
His teammates Axel Ross Danao won gold in the no gi after a 14-minute match and Neil Anioay won his gold via armlock in the gi category.
Marshal Caw-is contributed two silver medals in the gi and no gi, Leo Alejandro bagged one silver in gi, Daryl Marcelino won one silver medal in no gi, and Geremy Bahingawan won one silver and one bronze.
Other team members of Ronin La Trinidad under coach Morizon Jose displayed their prowess in the Fightyard Contender III at the Elorde FightYard Gym in Quezon City.
Geeno Abalos III ruled the gi, gi open, no gi weight division bringing home three gold medals for the group. He submitted his opponents using open guard or seated position and in the open weight division, outpaced his much bigger opponents.
Arvin Jose bagged one gold in the gi weight division and two silver in the gi open and no gi weight male adults division while their teammate McLean Tudayan failed to make it in his weight category.
Aira Jade Albon of C-Gambit Jiu Jitsu under coach Wilbert Pinkihan was a runaway winner with four gold medals in the female adult gi, no gi, gi open and no gi open where many of her finishes were through triangle submissions.
Ronin Jiu-Jitsu Matzone -Baguio was led by Xavier Villanueva who tested his wits in the BJJ scene after dabbling in mixed martial arts to win two gold medals in the gi and no gi and one silver finish in the no gi open.
Seth Tauli added one gold in the no gi and two silver medals in the gi and gi open while Faisal Abdulkader bagged two silver and two bronze medals.
Other team members are Ethan Salvador with one silver and one bronze and Jireh Dabay who took home one bronze, out of the 20 competitors in his bracket and won a silver medal.
The Baguio-Benguet teams brought home a total of 36 medals in the two events. – Ofelia C. Empian
