JAKARTA - The Philippine jiu-jitsu team will add a bronze medal to the country's tally as two Filipinas competed for one of the two bronze medals up for grabs in the Newaza Women's -49kg category.
The paths of Meggie Ochoa and Jenna Kaila Napolis crossed as the latter won the repechage round while the latter lost in the semifinals to set up the all-Filipina clash.
Napolis was aggressive to start the match-up but there were no points scored in the first four minutes. The only marks on the board were two penalties for both.
Fighting on her back for a majority of the match, Ochoa made a decisive move in the final minute as she reversed the position and got two points. The two ladies exchanged a hug after the match.
"I have mixed emotions right now because I went up against my teammate Kaila and we're very good friends. Beating your teammate does not feel good to be honest, but I'm happy to get the medal for the Philippines," said the first Philippine medalist in the Asian Games for the sport of jiu-jitsu.
Ochoa defeated Yasmeen Alkatib in the Round of 32 and handled the challenge of Thailand's Siramol Deepudsa in the Round of 16. However, she lost to Thi Thanh Minh Duong of Vietnam in the quarterfinals.
"I already beat her before but I guess she already knew what I was going to do so she surprised me this time," Ochoa said about Duong who claimed the other bronze medal.
After the loss, Ochoa had to go through the repechage round where she scored a submission win against Myanmar's Bayarmaa Munkhgerel.
Napolis, on the other end, had a dominant campaign in the early goings of the tournament. She made Indonesia's Santi Apriyani Savitri tap out in just 38 seconds before scoring another easy victory, this time via armbar, against UAE's Wadima Alyafei. However, she lost to Jessa Khan of Cambodia who went on to take home the gold.
The male athletes did not do as well as their female counterparts in ju-jitsu. The Philippines' bets in the Newaza Men's -56kg category were both eliminated early as Jan Vincent Cortez bowed to Nurzhan Seiduali of Kazakhstan in the Round of 32 while Gian Taylor Dee lost to Erdenebaatar Ulziitoktokh of Mongolia in the Round of 16.
In the Newaza Men's -69kg category, Marc Alexander Lim lost to Thailand's Banpot Lertthaisong.