Japinay judoka makes history

CEBU, Philippines - Japanese-Filipino judoka Kiyomi Sarausad Watanabe once again brought pride and honor to the Philippines on the international stage, this time in record-establishing fashion.

Watanabe, currently No.58 in the International Judo Federation world rankings, snared bronze medal in the -63 kilograms category of IJF Grand Slam Paris 2017 over the weekend at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris to become the first ever judoka from a Southeast Asian country to  win in the prestigious competition that is part of the IJF Grand Prix series.

Grand Slam events are part of IJF World Tour and classified as A level world tournament. It is next to the World Championship.

The 21-year-old Watanabe, a two-time gold medallist in the SEA Games representing Team Phl, bested her topseed rivals from Belarus, China and Russia before losing to eventual silver medallist Clarisse Agbegnenou of host France. The gold was claimed by Tina Trnsjak of Slovenia.

Watanabe later fought in the repechage bracket where she beat Lucy Renshall of Great Britain by ippon (full point) via juji gatame to snatch the bronze medal.

Delighted upon hearing the good news, Philippine Sports Commissioner Ramon Fernandez immediately extended his congratulations to Watanabe for achieving another milestone in her shining career.

“On behalf of the PSC, we would like to extend of congratulations to Miss Watanabe for her historic feat. She edifies the spirit of a true Filipino athlete worthy of emulation. We will assure her of our all-out support as she endeavors to reap more glory for the country in future international competitions particularly in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,” said Fernandez, himself a living legend in Phl basketball

Watanabe, whose mother Irene Sarausad-Watanabe hails from Toledo City, was born in 1996 in Cebu City where she spent part of her childhood and studied basic education at St. Paul Learning Center. She moved to Japan with her mother and father Shigeru Watanabe in 2004 when she was eight years old.

Up next for Watanabe is the Oberwart European Continental Open slated on February 18.  She is also set to see action in the Dusseldolf Grand Prix 2017 and in the Hong Kong Continental Championships 2017 on May 26. (FREEMAN)