JAKARTA - Another female athlete adds to the medal haul of the Philippines as Kiyomi Watanabe won the country's first silver medal of the 2018 Asian Games by reaching the finals of the women's -63kg category in judo at the Jakarta Convention Centre.
After two impressive victories, Watanabe faced a familiar foe in Japan's Nami Nabekura, a judoka she has faced four times in the past with the results split down the middle.
Watanabe was hoping to be the fifth female gold medalist for the Philippines but she came up short against her Japanese foe. Nabekura took the lead with a waza-ari at the 1:53 mark and scored another one just over a minute later to grab the victory and the gold.
The silver is a huge upgrade for the Filipino judoka. In her last stint in the Asian Games in Incheon, Watanabe did not do too well as she was defeated by Japan's Kana Abe in the quarterfinal. She was relegated to the repechage round where she lost to Marian Urdabayeva, the eventual bronze medalist.
Watanabe first competed for the Philippines in the 2011 Southeast Asian Games where she won the bronze of the women's -70kg category. She decided to cut down in weight and this turned out to be the best decision of her career as she won gold for the Philippines in the 2013, 2015, and 2017 SEA Games.
In the quarterfinals, Watanabe easily handled the challenge of Thailand's Surattana Thongsri via ippon and it only took her 1:21 seconds to punch her ticket into the semifinals. She had a tougher time in the final four against Gankhaich Bold of Mongolia but she still managed to grab the victory via waza-ari. The Philippines' medal count now stands at 4-1-13 with two days left.
Watanabe, who turned 22 last week, vowed to win it all next time. "Last Asian Games in Incheon I won seventh place," she told Sports5's Apple David. "Today I won second. Next Asian Games I will win the gold.