The thunderous sound of bodies crashing against old dojo mats and triumphant yells from the fighters are immediate reminders to any who enter the Ateneo Dojo that judo is a fearsome sport, and it is a sport in which Ateneo, is king.
Absolute domination
This status was solidified when the Ateneo Blue Judokas took home the overall judo championship for the third consecutive time last October.
Alejandro Umali was awarded the bronze medal for his weight class while Joriel Raboca, JR Reyes and Kevin Movido all took home silver medals. Matthew Jao and Angelo Gumilla debuted in their first major collegiate tournament this year, taking home the gold for the heavyweight and middleweight divisions respectively. Daniel Velasco stormed through the half light division, securing both the gold medal and title of UAAP MVP.
But the most impressive, and perhaps most significant victory, happened outside gold medal territory. This year, Ateneo and La Salle experienced a rare match up of captain versus captain—Jhonel Faelnar for Ateneo versus Gerard Teruel of La Salle. It was a match that saw two of the best lightweight black belts square off to determine who was truly king of the 60 kilogram division.
During the fight, Faelnar refused to let his nerves get in the way, as he not only became the first person to defeat Teruel, but the first person to fully throw Teruel on his back, receiving Ippon—the highest score a fighter can achieve in a Japanese martial.
Of the victory, Faelnar said, “I have been waiting a long time for this match-up, and I’m glad to have had the chance to slug it out with DLSU’s captain. I felt that I had helped seal the deal on clinching our championship and that feeling was priceless.”
“It is a fight I will remember for the rest of my life,” he adds.
Legends for leaders
Few teams can rival the talent housed in the Ateneo Dojo, however, even fewer can rival the coaches that run it.
“In my opinion, there is no other coaching staff that can match Ateneo’s; Ali Sulit, TJ Sulit, Katherine Duque, Robert Divina, Gilbert Ramirez, Aris Manalo, and Mike Santos,” says rookie Jao.
“[Robert Divina and Ali Sulit] are real Judokas,” says Velasco, “They lead by example, and their students cannot help but emulate what they teach. They walk the talk, and they have given most, if not all, of their lives to judo.”
It is through the leadership of coaches that the Ateneo team achieved victory. Leadership, which not only focuses on a fighters technique and physical strength, but strives to instill a sense of belonging, honor, respect, and mutual benefit. This unique breed of coaching inspires and develops a unique sort of fighter who constantly pushes the physical limit and insists on personal excellence.
“They will challenge you until you feel like quitting.” says Char Custodio. “They make you prove to yourself that you are more than what you expect yourself to be.”
A team of champions
A fighter, however, does not only rely on his own mental toughness to persevere. His spirit, his will to succeed, and even his skill set is derived from his teammates. It is the team as a collective, which produces gold medals, and it is the team to which every medalist credits his or her victories to.
“I believe we were champions this year because of our teammates and sparring partners. The heart of the people in this team is honestly unlike any other. And who else can say that they spar with their coaches, who are the best in the Philippines, and teammates and alumni who are national champions and former UAAP champions as well.” says Jao.
Just as iron sharpens iron, so does good sparring partners better their teammates.
As such, the prerequisite to victory is a stable of talents who push one another to be better every day. Such is the advantage of the Ateneo team: an abundance of talent, seen nowhere else in collegiate judo.
This is a reminder, that though only few may walk away with gold medals, every fighter in that dojo is a Champion.
