Having dominated at the Hajime judo tournament hosted by Ateneo over the summer, the Judokas entered the school year confident and primed to win a third consecutive UAAP championship. Head Coach Ali Sulit, however, made sure that complacency was not an option; training was only to grow tougher, harder and more excruciating.
So heading into the UAAP tournament on October 9, at the FilOil Arena, to say that the Judokas were “ready” for the tournament was to be an understatement on ludicrous levels—these fighters were designed for the championship, it was in their blood.
Day 1: Saturday, 10/09/10
UST, Adamson, DLSU, UP, UE and Ateneo were those to be competing for the top honors. Students, alumni and fans came to lend their support to the Judokas as the day kicked off with the Juniors on the mats.
Domination; the Ateneo junior Judokas did nothing less than annihilate the competition. Placing first in all weight divisions—except for the half heavyweight—taking home six gold medals along with five silvers.
Judoka Glenn Bordonada took home the honors of Most Valuable Player as well as Rookie of the Year. This victory marked the fifth consecutive the Juniors’ team to take home top prize—a marvelous accomplishment that further places Ateneo as formidable force in Judo.
“I’m very pleased about what happened with the high school. Everything happened like we projected it to,” said Sulit.
For Ateneo, it was a perfect start to the tournament. As spirits were at a high and confidence overflowing, the stakes were set to raise with the Men’s and Women’s divisions around the corner.
After the lunch break, athletes headed back to the mats to prepare for the main course: the Men’s and Women’s division. The competition immediately proved to be stiffer for the Judokas. Everything wasn’t as smooth sailing as it was with the Juniors, far from it.
The Women struggled in their matches, ending the day with two bronze medals by Jamie Reyes and a thrilling golden score by rookie Maria Custodio.
As for the Men, UST blazed out to the top of the standings with Alexis Albor and Benjamin Tan both claiming gold in their weight classes (middle and half heavy).
However, with an unrelenting Alejandro Umali taking home the bronze for half heavyweight and rookie heavyweight sensation Matthew Jao taking home the gold—defeating fellow Judoka in veteran stud Salvador Jr. S Reyes—Ateneo, weren’t too far behind.
At the end of day one, the Women trailed behind the pack with four points as DLSU stood far ahead with 15, followed by UST (10), UP (7), ADMU, UE (2) and in last Adamson with zilch.
For the Men, the race was tight with UST sporting a respectable 20 points, being trailed by ADMU (17), DLSU (11), UP (9) and both UE and Adamson sitting at the bottom with zero points apiece.
“We can easily get those points back, we’re confident,” spoke Sulit regarding the position the Men’s team was in, “only three divisions were played today while four more were schedule for Sunday, it’s still anyone’s ball game.”
However, the outlook looked bleak for the Women, as they were due to miss out on a division having no middleweight athlete. “It puts us at a loss but still possible (winning),” responded Sulit about their situation, “It’s just a matter of who wants it more now.”
The stage was now set for the final day of the tournament, “This is the best program and best line up we’ve had” said Sulit exemplifying his confidence in the team.
“Desire, commitment, fighting spirit, courage, focus,” these were Sulit’s choice of words in describing the reason behind the recent success of the team. “The guys never let up. Even when it seemed that the match wasn’t going in their favor, all of them fought like there was no tomorrow,” Sulit elaborated, “I was personally in awe to see such fire, such courage from our guys and girls.”
Day 2: Sunday, 10/10/10
This was it, what all their hardcore training would come down to: the last day of the judo UAAP tournament. All the sweat, sore muscles, broken and dislocated bones would accumulate to the final results at the end of this day. The only question that remains would be if it was all worth it.
The situation grew even harder for the Women’s team, harsh competition and a lack of an entry in one division (middleweight) would prove to be too much to overcome. Jackielyn Francisco would be the lone Judoka on the Lady Judokas to place during the final day, taking home bronze in her weight class (half heavyweight). The final results for the Women’s team would stand with UST (42 points) atop, followed by UP (35), then DLSU (29), UE (21), ADMU (6) and finally Adamson (0) with last place.
For the men’s, it would be a story at the opposite end of the spectrum. After trailing UST by three points at the end of the first day, the Judokas were unrelenting on Sunday.
They hit the competition by storm, scoring 40 points in the final day to take the lead and ultimately the victory, from UST. Joriel Abaca (lightweight) and Kevin Movido (extra lightweight) claimed silver in their weight classes while Angelo Gumila (half middleweight), Christian Velasco (half lightweight) and team captain Jhonel Faelnar (extra lightweight) proudly took home gold medals for their respectful divisions.
Velasco was granted the honor of Most Valuable Player while Gumila claimed Rookie of the Year. The final standings read ADMU (57 points) at first, trailed by UST (39), followed by DLSU (24), then UP (9), UE (4) and Adamson (0) coming in last.
The team was relentless in their quest for the three-peat, although at times taken down on the mat, there was nothing capable of putting down their spirits, “Just because a major player of the team loses, it doesn’t mean that the rest of the team will lose morale. On the contrary, our team just gets stronger in their resolve amidst adversity. If their opponents scored on them, they just keep fighting. If they’re super down on points and there’s only a few seconds to go, they’ll fight even harder,” explained Sulit, “No one gives up on this team. No one.”
As the sense of victory and all of its emotions came pouring, things couldn’t be better for Sulit, when asked about his personal feelings towards the team this year, Sulit responded, “I am very proud of each and every one in the team, the ones in the line-up and those who are part of the training team. The championship is the result of everyone’s hard work and contribution in this year’s efforts. It is my honor and privilege to be coaching these young men and women.”
And with that, the three-peat was no longer speculation, it had become a reality for this entire team—the Judokas are once again the undisputed and undeniable champions.
When asked about plans now that the tournament is over, Sulit concludes, “The plan? We go back on the mats on Monday. Judo is our life. Why would we stop living?”
