THE ATENEO Judo Teams (AJT) launched their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 stint in excellence after securing four medals in the tournament’s opening day. The fixtures were held earlier today at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in the City of Manila.

Across all day one events, the AJT collected one silver and three bronze medals courtesy of Robynne Gonzales, Ronnie Nolido, Aldwyn Thor, and Pete Fabre, respectively.

Women’s -48kg division

Two-time UAAP silver medalist Yza Claravall began the Women’s team’s campaign against Leah Lopez of the University of the East (UE) in the -48kg event. While the team captain began with solid defense against UE, Claravall ultimately suffered a quick ippon against the 2023 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games bronze medalist.

Max De Castro shared a similar fate against Tala Tadeo of De La Salle University (DLSU). After a back-and-forth struggle, the match took a decisive turn in Tadeo’s favor despite De Castro’s determined bid for a quarterfinal contention.

Women’s -52kg division

Placing her opponent under immense pressure, Jazz Sanchez fended off UE’s Jhen Obeja in the opening moments of the match, controlling the fight’s pace after evading a grappling maneuver from her opponent. However, despite switching into a more offensive position to lock in a submission attempt, the Blue Eagle failed to advance to the semifinals after a miscalculated turn that cost her an ippon loss.

Women’s -57kg division

Chalking up Ateneo’s first points, Ronnie Nolido claimed a swift opening match win after executing a flawless throw that earned her an ippon in just 10 seconds. Her winning momentum flowed through the quarterfinals against Adamson University’s Myles Casanas, but stalled as she entered her semifinal bout against UE’s Joemari Rafael.

A failed armbar submission and a subsequent ippon from her opponent forced the Blue Eagle into repechage. Despite this drawback, Nolido launched a perfect ippon to send Sydney Martin of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) down in 15 seconds, nabbing the bronze medal with an impeccably timed leg sweep.

After breezing through the opening round, a tough semifinal match saw Robynne Gonzales struggle to gain the upper hand over DLSU’s Jasmaine Ching. However, as Gonzales started to masterfully exploit the time to her advantage, the Blue Eagle attained a successful waza ari attempt to advance to the finals. Ultimately, Gonzales bagged a silver medal for the Blue and White after losing a hard-fought match against UE.

Men’s -81kg division

In the Men’s division, Aaron Dy faced UST’s Carlos Aniciete in the -81kg event. Despite strong efforts, the Blue Eagle fell at the hands of the Golden Judoka due to an ippon in less than one minute. Afterwards, Thor took onto the mats with intentions to avenge his Atenean kin against Gold and White judoka Adrian Cadampog.

Both athletes exhibited aggressive approaches, ending in Cadampog incurring a yellow card. After three scoreless minutes, Thor was credited a waza-ari with fifteen seconds left before time exhaustion and ultimately attained a full point to enter the semifinals.

Thor then faced University of the Philippines’ (UP) Viron Ferrer, who posed a challenge for the Blue and White judoka. The Atenean displayed persistence while overcoming his adversary’s assertive combat style, doing just enough to deflect a throw. In spite of Thor’s gritty showing, he bowed before Ferrer after 58 seconds via an ippon.

In the battle for bronze, Thor and Dy faced off in a showcase of Blue and White brilliance. Thor quickly took the chance to catch Dy off guard, but the latter defended the throw with precision. Familiarity became an antecedent for the Blue Eagles, as the match went into golden score opportunity. Regardless of a yellow card, Thor successfully acquired a waza-ari in 50 seconds to bag a bronze accolade.

Men’s -90kg division

Co-captain Fabre was the lone judoka to banner the Ateneo in the -90kg weight class, facing UP adversary Laurence Sy in a quarterfinal showdown.

The Blue Eagle thwarted Sy’s throwing attempt and followed up with a successful throw to earn a waza-ari. Seeking to advance to the semifinal round, Fabre tackled his Katipunan rival with a clean throw to inch closer to gold medal contention.

Fabre then encountered Golden Judoka Kyan Ballecer, who obtained a waza-ari within 10 seconds of play. Thor consequently entered a defensive stance, resulting in a blocked throw and a diverted submission. While the Blue Eagle had chances to perform a throw, the Thomasian put an end to Fabre’s hopes for gold with a second waza-ari in the final minute of the clash.

Regardless, the Atenean secured the second bronze medal for the Men’s Judo Team after Fighting Maroon Rhyan Garay’s no show in the contest.

Men’s -100kg division

In the -100kg event, Joaquin Comsti competed against Fighting Maroon Jay-ar Suplig in the quarterfinals. The UP judoka won via ippon, thus relegating the Loyola Heights-based athlete to the bronze medal match.

Battling another Diliman-based rival in Jacob Torres, Comsti’s sprint toward his foe proved to be costly, as it ultimately resulted in a UP waza-ari. Consequently, Torres fulfilled an ippon after a throw, hindering Comsti’s medal aspirations.

Participating in the same weight class, Blue and White judoka Quino Ampeloquio lost to Torres in a previous quarterfinal round. While the Blue Eagle used balance to strategically negate a throw, an ippon saw Ampeloquio go into a do-or-die repechage battle against DLSU’s Quintin Berdera. The match of high-stakes risks concluded after 29 seconds upon Berdera earning a masterful ippon.

Men’s +100kg division

Lim Realda was the only Blue and White athlete to dawn the Atenean gi in the +100kg weight class, with Golden Judoka Geoffrey Abujos as his first foe. The clash started with a conquest for an early grapple, until UST received a waza-ari. However, the Ateneo coach swiftly called for a challenge that was later deemed successful in favor of the Loyola Heights-based squad.

Nevertheless, the Blue Eagle sustained consecutive yellow card violations and faltered before Abujos on an ippon. In the repechage bracket, a revitalized Realda executed better plays and skillful actions against UP’s Henry Brito. The Atenean judoka successfully gained successive waza-aris following a throw and a 10-second submission.

Despite advancing to the battle for third place, Realda’s chances for bronze plummeted due to the commanding performance of UST’s Tristan Reyes. The Golden Judoka was granted a waza-ari as the clock started ticking, while the Atenean amassed two yellow cards. In the end, Reyes’ inner leg sweep served as the dagger to Realda’s hopes for a podium placement.

Comparing her performance between the past and current UAAP seasons, top day one AJT finisher Gonzales highlighted a significant improvement in her adjustments, which helped in navigating her training and overall performance. “It was a lot of support from my teammates in terms of choosing which weight category was right for me,” the silver medal holder noted.

Following the Atenean judokas’ preview of exemplary performances, the AJT opt to close out the UAAP Season 87 Judo tournament with more medals tomorrow, December 15, at 1:30 PM in the same venue.