ON a year Filipino fighters had a roller-coaster ride, two lady warriors rose to the occasion and carried the country’s hopes on their shoulders.
Margarita ‘Meggie’ Ochoa and Annie Ramirez scored a double in Hangzhou, China as the combat sports of jiu-jitsu delivered two golds for Team Philippines in the 19th Asian Games.
The 33-year-old Ochoa won the gold in the -48 kg, while Ramirez, also 33, struck and ruled the -57 kg division.
The two actually accounted for half of the four golds the Philippines won in the quadrennial showcase, highlighting the success of the women’s jiu-jitsu team under legendary coach John Baylon in a campaign similar to the one the women’s golf team led by former US Open champion Yuka Saso, pulled off in the 2018 Asiad when it also won two golds for the country.
By virtue of their huge contributions to the country’s bid in the Hangzhou Asiad, Ochoa and Ramirez are chosen as SPIN.ph’s Fighters of the Year for its annual Sportsman Of The Year (SOTY) award.
Bumpy ride for Ochoa, Ramirez
The road to the top was both a bumpy ride for the two Filipina bets.
Ochoa, a two-time world champion who has a bachelor’s degree in business management at Ateneo de Manila, was nursing a fever upon arriving in China until the eve of her bout that she doubted if ever she’ll be able to fight.
“I have been sick since I arrived. I tried all sorts of medicine to get well and prayed hard to give me the strength to compete,” she recalled.
But the warrior in her prevailed.
Getting an early bye, Ochoa prevailed over Odgerel Batbayar of Mongolia in the round of 16, then subdued Nazgul Rakhayeva of Kazakhstan in the quarterfinal, before scoring a 4-2 win over Thailand’s Pechrada Kacie Tan in the semifinals to reach the gold medal round, where current world champion Balqees Abdulla of the United Arab Emirates was waiting for her.
In the final, the Filipina went to work quickly, clinching and submitting the 19-year-old Abdullah to the ground to control the match.
Abdulla tried to extricate herself from Ochoa’s tight grip, but was repeatedly foiled by the Filipina until the clock expired.
When everything was over, Ochoa wept uncontrollably in the loving arms of Baylon.
“This one is for our country,” said a crying Ochoa, whose gold was the second for Team Philippines following EJ Obiena’s record-breaking feat in pole vault.
Already a two-time gold medal winner in the Southeast Asian Games and an Asian champion, Ochoa said winning in the Asiad remains overwhelming.
“Iba ito e. Asian Games,” said the Filipina, who was only a bronze medalist in the 2018 Asiad in Bangkok, Thailand. “Napakaimportante nito para sa bansa, so sobrang laking bagay na nagawa ko ito.”
Ramirez slays ghost of the past
It was a different case on the part of Ramirez.
The University of Santo Tomas product with a degree in physical education, needed to conquer the ghost of the past on her way to winning her first Asiad gold medal.
Hounded by her first round exit in the 2018 edition of the quadrennial conclave, Ramirez was determined and motivated to put the sad experience behind by aiming for the top prize no less.
“Nagkaroon ako ng anxiety after the Asian Games 2018 kasi sobra kong dinibdib yun,” said Ramirez of the campaign that saw her fought in a heavier division.
“First fight pa lang talo na ako nun. Hindi ko rin kasi weight category yun. Pero hindi ko nire-reason out yun.”
But finally back to her comfort zone, Ramirez was also back in dominant fashion.
Likewise taking a bye, she disposed Le Thi Thuong of Vietnam in the round-of-16 via advantage, dominated Singapore’s Fiona Toh in the quarterfinals, 7-0, and then beat Shamsa Alameri of United Arab Emirates via submission in the semifinals for a shot at the gold medal.
In the final, she met a familiar foe in Galina Duvanova of Kazakhstan, whom she had beaten twice in the past, but lost her last encounter during the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, USA.
“Masakit yung pagkatalo ko na iyon,” she admitted.
A three-time Asian champion, Ramirez struggled against Duvanova for most of the bout before scoring a sweep with less than 30 seconds remaining for the win.
Like Ochoa, Ramirez found herself in tears when the country’s third gold medal was finally won at the Xiaoshan Linpu gymnasium.
“Mabigat ito kasi hirap tayong mag gold dito (Asiad). So masarap sa pakiramdam ito,” said Ramirez, who had also won three golds in the Southeast Asian Games and a gold each in the Asian Beach Games and the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.
A third Filipina in Jenna Kaila Napolis also delivered a bronze medal in the -52kg division in an all-women power for the Philippine jiu-jitsu team.
The two golds by Ochoa and Ramirez allowed the country to equal the total gold haul of the country in the previous Asiad in Palembang, Indonesia, but finished two notches higher at 17th place.
Additionally, it helped Team Philippines to achieve its best finish yet in the Asiad in the last 29 years or since placing 18th overall during the 1994 edition of the meet in Hiroshima, Japan.
And the two lady jiu-jitsu bets certainly played a big part behind it.
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