Ramirez, Ochoa miss medal round in world tilt

THE Philippines’ top jiu-jitsu bets Annie Ramirez and Meggie Ochoa missed the medal rounds on Thursday at the close of the 2021 World Jiu-jitsu Championships in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Ochoa failed to sustain her auspicious start, winning over hometown bet Al Kaabi of UAE, 14-0, in the Female Adult Jiu-Jitsu -48kg event, before losing a close contest to Laetitia Boes of France, 2-0, in her next match.

In the loser’s bracket, the 2018 Sweden World Championship titlist hurdled Nutchaya of Thailand, but faltered against Ni Ni Vicky Hoang of Canada in the penultimate round for a medal.

Ochoa was a four-time gold winner in World Jiu-Jitsu World Cup and a 2019 Southeast Asian Games gold medalist.

Ramirez, the gold medalist in the Abu Dhabi 2019 World Professional Jiu-Jitsu, fought five matches and got three wins with two submissions against two losses to land at fifth place among 16 competitors in the -57kg division.

The Philippine team captain was still thankful to her supporters in the face of challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Thank you sa lahat ng mga sumuporta at tumulong sa akin para sa laban na ito. Alam ng mga tao na ‘yan na hindi biro ‘yung mga challenges na pinagdaanan ko from injuries to weight cutting. Sa mga dramas at sa very strict protocols para makapag-ensayo,” she said on her social media post.

Other Filipino campaigners Jollyrine Co won her first bout against Nutchaya Sugun ng Thailand, 6-0, but bowed to Irina Brodksi ng Germany, 8-2 in her next assignment. She absorbed another loss in the losers’ bracket against Oxana Moskalenko of Russia.

The only bright spot on the Philippine side was Jenna Kaila Napolis, who bagged a bronze medal in the Female Adults -52kg category.