BULACAN - Filipino-Japanese 2017 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games judo champion Mariya Takahashi is poised to defend her gold medal in the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
The 18-year-old, only child of Tomoki and Lynlyn of Maragusan in Compostela Valley, will start her women’s -70 kilograms division title defense on December 6 at the Laus Group Events Center in Pampanga.
Takahashi, a college freshman taking up a sports-related course at Kogakkan University, said, “May halong kaba pero pag-igihan ko para matutuwa ang lahat (I’m quite nervous but I will do my best to make everybody happy).”
She replied through her mother who translated Sun.Star Davao’s English questions via Facebook to Nihonggo.
She has been training hard all-year round with her own Japanese coach.
She earlier said that Indonesian Kakihara Guna, who is also studying in Japan, might be her stiffest rival in her second stint in the biennial Games. The latter defeated her in a tournament in Japan recently.
However, Guna’s name was not included in Indonesia’s roster of judo athletes based on the official 30th SEA Games website. She could somehow heave a sigh of relief that her strongest opponent won’t be competing but Takahashi could not be complacent as other entries might be no pushovers.
Lynlyn said, “Basta ingon ko niya okay ra basta maningkamot lang sya kaya ra lagi na (I just told her to strive harder as she could pull off another win).”
She is set to arrive in Clark on December 2. But the incoming typhoon worried Lynlyn as Takahashi will be traveling alone.
Takahashi was born in Japan but she studied Grades 1 and 2 in Panabo City, Davao del Norte where they used to live but she later settled in Japan where she continued her studies.
Takahashi, who could understand few Visayan words, started playing judo in fourth grade.