BANGKOK — Kimberly Ann Custodio led the way for the Philippine jiu jitsu team as she qualified for the gold medal match in women’s ne-waza 48kg here at the Ronnaphakat Building Navaminda Kasatriyahiraj Air Force Academy on Thursday afternoon.
She became the lone representative for the women’s team in the final after fellow world champion Annie Ramirez, and World Games silver medalist Kaila Napolis fell short of the top prize.
Custodio bested home bet and former finals foe Tan Pechrada Kacie in the semifinal via advantage to get into the battle for gold.
“Feeling ko kasi dun ako pinakamahihirapan, kasi siya yung nakalaban ko nung finals 2022.” Custodio said, still out of breath.
In the gutsy battle, the three-time World Champion won by the slightest of margins to start the women’s team campaign with a bang. However, the team couldn’t sustain the momentum after Napolis and Ramirez lost in their quarterfinals and semifinals matches, respectively.
While Napolis was able to salvage a bronze medal with a win in the repechage, Ramirez was unable to compete after being barred to compete due to health regulations when she lost consciousness in her bout against Malaysia’s Wong Joelle Ai.
Over on the men’s side, Dean Roxas and Yman Baluyo are through to the gold medal matches of the 85kg and 69kg division, respectively, after ruling the competition early.
Vito Luzuriaga and Marc Lim, meanwhile, got bronzes by way of repechage.
As of writing, Custodio, Roxas, and Baluyo are getting ready for their respective gold medal matches. TMT