Two Filipino Martial Artists Just Bagged Gold Medals at the World Ju-Jitsu Championship

Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold medalist Margarita Ochoa and beauty-queen-turned-fighter Kimberly Anne Custodio were big winners at the 2022 Ju-Jitsu World Championships in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) recently. The Filipino martial artists each clinched gold-medal finishes in the -48kg and -45kg divisions, respectively.

Ochoa had defeated Vicky Hoang Ni Ni, 2-0, in the finals. She began her campaign with wins over Oana Lupu of Romania, 14-0, in the round of 16, Oleksandra Rusetska of Ukraine, 9-0, in the semifinals, and Abdulkareem Balqees of the UAE, 22-0, in the quarter finals.

Custodio, on the other hand, defeated Kacie Pechrada Tan of Thailand in the finals, 6-4. She had beat Adina Iulia Mihaila of Romania, 9-0, in the round of 16, Sakaew Tadaporn, 14-0, in the semifinals, and Hamdah Al Shkeili of the UAE, 14-0, in the quarter finals.

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The two martial artists are part of the eight-man roster that represented the Philippines in the contest. Joining her were Jenna Kaila Napolis, Ashley Villaret, Myron Mangubat, Jan Cortez, Brendo Pudan, and Philip Alegre. The group competed in the women's -52 kg and -45 kg, as well as in the men's minus -62 kg, -69 kg, and -85 kg.

Ochoa had previously dominated in back-to-back SEA Games, winning gold at the women's minus 48-kg category in Manila in 2019 and the Vietnam SEA Games in 2022. Meanwhile, Custodio won the bronze medal at the 2019 Asian Championships in Mongolia.