FORMER jiu-jitsu world champion Alex Enriquez bagged the Philippines' first gold in the 2026 Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China on Thursday.
Enriquez, currently a UFC BJJ fighter and winner of the 2023 International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation World Championship no-gi, convincingly won over Lee Yeonji of South Korea, 5-0, in the women's -63kg final.
On her way to the gold, Enriquez drew a bye in the first round, and defeated Xu Xintong of China and Senatham Orapa of Thailand, all via submission. She defeated Shamma Alkalbani of United Arab Emirates in the semifinals via advantage after a 4-4 deadlock.
Fighting for the Philippines
The 28-year-old Enriquez was born in Manila before she and her family migrated in 2024 when she was only five years old.
She lost to Cassia Moura in her UFC BJJ debut and just last March, bowed to Adele Fornarino.
2025 World Games silver medalist Kaila Napolis was the first medalist of the Philippines, winning over Zhibek Kulumbetova of Kazakhstan in the bronze medal bout in the women's -52 kg.
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