The DLSU Green and Lady Judokas were aiming for a higher spot on the table as they entered Season 81 of the Judo Tournament held last December 8 and 9 at the ninth floor of the Enrique Razon Sports Complex at De La Salle University, Manila. Both teams landed at fourth this season. The Lady Judokas maintained their place for the third consecutive year, bagging a total of nine points, while the Green Judokas fell out of the podium, finishing at fourth place, bagging a total of 10 points.
In the men’s division, it was UST who took the gold for the third consecutive year, garnering a total of 45 points, followed by ADMU with 18 points, and UP at third with 18 points as well. UST’s Dither Tablan and Ryan Benavidez were awarded Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Rookie of the Year (ROY), respectively. As for the women’s division, UST also took the gold in their fifth consecutive year with a total of 36 points, followed by UP with 25 points, while UE sits at third with 24 points. UST’s Khrizzie Pabulayan took the MVP award while Remieanne Pangilinan of UE was awarded ROY.
Fruitful first day
Team captain Carmila Cadorna gained the first medal for the Lady Judokas after beating UST’s Daisy Lipasana on a lopsided victory for the bronze medal in the extra lightweight division. Charmea Quelino also rose from the depths and completed a perfect run in the lightweight division, toppling UST’s Almira Ruiz for the gold medal. Cadorna could not hide her emotions as she believed that she could have done better. “Masaya pero at the same time nanghihinayang kasi sayang. Andun na yung gold medal match eh. Kaso nalaglag pa sa game bago mag gold medal match. Pero thankful parin na nanalo.”
(It was fun, but I felt like I could have done better as I was nearing the gold medal match but lost before I had a chance. But I am still thankful for my victory)
The Green Judokas, on the other hand, garnered two silver medals across two weight divisions. Ezra Malanos gained the first silver medal after losing against ADMU’s Henry Margulies in the half middleweight division. Keith Reyes notched the second silver medal after UST’s George Kim scored a wazari against him in the half heavyweight division. All-in-all, both teams were able to garner a total of one gold, two silver, and one bronze medals.
Day 2
The Lady Judokas took home one more medal on the second day of the competition. Mary Brillo finished the season of the Lady Judokas with a bronze medal through the half heavyweight division, sharing the bronze with UST’s Kryshalynd Rotairo.
Meanwhile, the Green Judokas tallied two more medals to cap off their season. Team captain Adrian Perillo captured the bronze medal for the half lightweight division, to be shared with UP’s Gabriel Salazar. On the other hand, David Gordon clinched a silver medal after failing to defeat UP’s Sean Panganiban for the featherweight category.
“For me kasi my goal this season is to get gold. However, I fell short but it’s okay,” Perillo shared. The Green Judoka explained that they need to work harder. “Meron naman kaming laban it’s just that medyo kulang kami this season and kinapos kami so ayun, bawi,” he added. With the disheartening outcome this season, head coach Sam Bernales is already looking at the future of the Green and Lady Judokas. “We’ll learn more on the technique, and we will do our best to look for potential recruits,” the head coach adds that this year’s competition has risen compared to last year, noting the addition of the junior players who moved up to the senior division. “Medyo mataas yung level ng competition,” said Bernales.
