MARGARITA “MEGGIA” OCHOA won gold to lead the country’s haul in jiujitsu at the 2016 Asian Beach Games on Sunday in Da Nang, Vietnam.
Ochoa beat Suwanan Boonsorn of Thailand to rule the women’s newaza -45-kilogram category and cap a fruitful campaign by Filipino athletes in the sport.
Ochoa, 26, a jiujitsu world champion, first disposed of Vietnam’s Do Thu Ha in the quarterfinals and defeated Turkmenistan’s Dinara Jumadurdyyeva in the semifinals.
“I am really happy that the first gold came from a female athlete. We are really proud of her,” Chief of Mission Karen Tanchanco-Caballero said.
Gian Taylor Dee and Apryl Jessica Eppinher grabbed silver and bronze medals, respectively, also in jiujitsu.
Dee yielded to Iraq’s Amir Yahya Abdulamir Albazy in the gold-medal match of the men’s newaza -62kg division. The Filipino beat Jarrah Al Hazza of Kuwait in the quarterfinals and Sarawut Petsing of Thailand in the semifinals.
Eppinher, on the other, avenged her semifinal loss to Ruba Alsayegh of Jordan with a victory over Kashaf Javed of Pakistan in the battle for the bronze medal in women’s newaza -62 kg.
The Filipino-Australian Eppinher represented the Philippines as a track and road cyclist in the Southeast Games in the past decade before shifting to jiu-jitsu.
The Philippines ran sixth in the medal tally with one gold, one silver and seven bronze medals. Host Vietnam leads the medals race with a 5-5-17 gold-silver-bronze tally, followed by Thailand (4-5-8) and China (3-4-8).
Jonathan Polosan (light-welterweight), Philip Delarmino (bantamweight) and Jay Harold Gregorio (middleweight) in muay thai and kurHelen Dawa in women’s -52 kg kurash clinched the other bronze medals for the Philippines.