March 29, 2024

Athletes from the Cordillera, including cadets of the Philippine Military Academy who trained for only a few months, collected 36 gold, 18 silver, and 25 bronze medals in the Asia Pacific Jiu Jitsu Championship & Asia Pacific Submission Championships 2022 and the ADCC Southeast Asian Open 2022 held in Makati on weekend.

The cadets who train under the Academia Militar Judo & Jiu Jitsu only joined the Asia Pacific Open collected three gold, one silver, and eight bronze medals with Debbie Andrew Noviteros and Alyssa Agnes Jarina leading them with one gold and one bronze apiece.

BJJ MEDALISTS — Members of the Academia Militar Judo & Jiu Jitsu of the Philippine Military Academy amassed three gold, one silver, and eight bronze medals in the Asia Pacific Jiu Jitsu Championship & Asia Pacific Submission Championships 2022 while their coaches Guillermo Geronimo and Aithana Caranto of Mat Zone JJ combined for seven golds in the same tournament and a silver in the ADCC Southeast Asian Open 2022 held in Makati on weekend. — Contributed photo

Fitzel Leal also won one gold while Jun Tito Ramirez won the lone silver medal for PMA.

Double bronze medalists were Joseph Andrei Bolalin and Dewi Messakaraeng while Cyrah Dionne Buhain and Dan Bernard Cojpag also won one bronze each.

The cadets’ coaches, Guillermo Geronimo and Aithana Caranto, who train under Mat Zone JJ, were likewise victorious with the former winning three gold medals while the latter had four gold medals, both in the Asia Pacific.

Caranto also won a silver in the ADCC open division.

Wilbert Pinkihan won two golds and a bronze in the Asia Pacific and another bronze in the ADCC while Aira Jade Albon clinched four golds, all in Asia Pacific.

Faisal Abdulkader won a gold in ADCC and a silver in Asia Pacific while Joanne Bognadon won a gold and a bronze, all in Asia Pacific with Jones Lao-ay winning also one gold and two bronze medals in the same tourney.

Mark Anthony Bagano also won gold and a bronze in the Asia Pacific, as Rafael Castillo added another gold medal. The bronze medalists were Jireh Dabay and Rizalito Gimeno.

Overall, Mat Zone JJ athletes won 18 gold, two silver, and eight bronze medals.

Ronin Brazilian JJ-La Trinidad under coach Morrizon Jose, meanwhile, won 14 gold, 13 silver, and six bronze medals with Genno Abalos III leading the team with three golds in the Asia Pacific and another gold in ADCC.

The other top athletes were Marshal Caw-is with two golds and two bronze medals; Daryl Marcelino with three golds and one bronze; Dhan Anthony Peliño with two gold and two silver medals; Jezebelle Padtoc with one gold and two silvers; and Genzer Navalta with one gold and one silver.

Other medalists were Ace Candano with one gold; Hideshiko Nozawa with three silvers; Nicko James Donglasan with two silvers and one bronze; and Cody Mendoza and Elgen Navalta with one silver and one bronze each.

Sean Kirby of Baguio BJJ under Prof. Gibran Langbayan won a silver in the Asia Pacific and another silver in ADCC.

Other Cordillerans who won medals were Warren Lumidao of Over Limit BJJ winning a gold and a bronze while Mariane Mariano of Round 1 BJJ and Wren Lumidao of Over Limit BJJ won one bronze apiece.

Both tournaments were organized by the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation of the Philippines. – Harley F. Palangchao