LADY JUDOKAS RISE IN RANKINGS

THE ATENEO Blue Judokas reached the pinnacle of their quest for back-to-back championships as they outplayed and outclassed their counterparts at the Blue Eagle Gym on October 4 at the culmination of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Judo round.

Cementing themselves furthermore as king of the hill, Paolo Luz re-established himself as the league’s top judoka as his colossal performance catapulted him to the Most Valuable Player plum for the second consecutive season.

Sweeter the second time

With a new tournament format compressing the schedule of the games in a single day, the Blue Judokas found themselves lagging behind in the race for the crown after falling to third place midway the competition.

The last four duels became the deciding factor for the defending judoka champs and falter they did not as they delivered on the nerve-frazzling moments of the tournament.

Realizing the invaluable prize at stake, the triumvirate of Captain Jhonel Faelnar (minus 60kg division), Paulo Luz (minus 66kg division) and Gian Dee (minus 60kg) did not disappoint as they showcased dynamic styles of assault and dazzling throws to repulse their rivals and pocketed gold, silver and bronze, respectively for a total of 17 points.

Their wins bolstered their total number of points to 35 as they surpassed second-place University of Sto. Tomas’ total of 28 points.

“I was really pressured because as we approached the final four matches, we were trailing. Had I settled for silver, we would have still been crowned champs, though as it would give us a total of 30 points, we’ll still be ahead of them,” Faelnar said.

The 8-medal campaign proved enough to dispel criticisms that last year’s championship was a fluke.

Added to the timely victories needed by the team to reach the top, medals contributed from earlier matches (mostly from the heavyweight classes) made Ateneo’s claim to the throne official.

Bronze medals from Joe Wong (minus 90kg), Josh Miciano (minus 90kg), Andro Umali (minus 100kg), and a gold medal from JR Reyes (Plus 100kg), plus an MVP title completed the team’s UAAP pickings.

Luz, Ateneo’s back-to-back MVP, was the highest scoring judoka in terms of offensive points, becoming one of the key factors going into the season. His stellar performance was highlighted by three ippon–a full point that is awarded for a perfect throw (or a submission) and ends a match.

“This year’s MVP award was definitely a bigger surprise for me than last year. Last year as a rookie, MVP was definitely the last thing on my mind, says Luz.

“This year a lot of my teammates had MVP-worthy performances which helped secure this year’s championship. With everyone’s winning performance I really felt that anyone of us could’ve been named the MVP,” he adds.

This year’s championship is the Blue Judoka’s fourth, following the 1998, 2005, and 2008 seasons. The 2009 victory is their first back-to-back title.

Ladies improve standing

An inspired performance displayed by a graduating injured captain, and a sensational campaign churned out by neophyte named Rookie of the Year, defined the buoyant run of the Lady Judokas as they ended up in 4th place, inches away from a podium finish.

Captain Mich Lagdameo suffered an MCL in the semi-finals and lost the chance of booking of a finals ticket in the process. Deafening silence emanated from the Ateneo crowd when her name was called as they were skeptic if she could still compete in the battle for bronze.

Defying medics’ advice and excruciating pain on her left arm, she continued and provided a rousing performance to the delight of the fans as she won convincingly and seized third place honors.

“It is already my last year and I did not want to end my college career with an injury (stopping me from competing),” says Lagdameo.

Jamie Reyes’ superb debut earned her a bronze medal and Rookie of the Year honors while Patty Mendoza bagged the only silver medal for the team. The rest of the squad contributed five more bronzes as Zandra dela Cruz, Jackie Francisco, Angge Tiuseco, Doms Gana, and Kate briones won their battle-for-third matches.

“We’re a bit disappointed because we know we could have done better because we improved a lot. We were going for a podium finish and sayang lang (it was regrettable) that we didn’t get what we wanted,” added Lagdameo.

Blood, sweat, and tears

Behind their successes, the conditioning of the Judokas, both physically and mentally, was noteworthy. Their victorious campaign is the culmination of months of preparation and hard training.

Ateneo’s Coach Ali Sulit began training his team as early as the summer of last year, maintaining that this was necessary to keep the Judokas in their competitive forms.

“We were relentless. The training was tasking and ridiculous, this is how you treat big goals… While everybody was sleeping or having fun, they were training. They sacrificed a lot,” Sulit says.

In addition, the team also underwent modern physical training methods, and had the assistance of new coaches from the national pool joining the Blue and White.

Going into the competition on October 4, Sulit advised the Judokas to stay focused and take everything positively. He told them to that “doubting yourselves is the greatest fear they can encounter.”

Going for three-peat

Along with Lagdameo, most of the Lady Judokas are graduating but are keen on assuring that the newly acquired Judokas would be ready for battle next year. “Sisiguraduhin naming handa na sila for next year (We would make sure they are ready for next year). They would be a fresh line-up but not inexperienced,” says Lagdameo.

The Blue Judokas, meanwhile, would still be headed by Faelnar and although some would be graduating, they could compensate for it with the expected arrival of recruits from the Ateneo Juniors’ Squad, who are national champions.