THE Philippine national anthem was played for the second time in Hangzhou, China, as jiu-jitsu fighter Margarita "Meggie" Ochoa delivered the second gold medal for the country on Thursday, October 6, 2023.
World No. 2 pole vaulter captured the country’s first gold over the weekend.
Ochoa eked out a win by advantage over Balqees Abdulla of the United Arab Emirates in their women -48 kg titular showdown Thursday, October 5, at the Xiaoshan Gymnasium in Hangzhou, China.
The 33-year-old Ochoa kept her dominant position during the entire match, foiling Abdulla's attempt for a triangle choke.
She barged into the finals unbeaten in three matches.
In the semifinals, Ochoa outclassed Pechrada Kacie Tan of Thailand, 4-2, before beating Nazgul Rakhayeva of Kazakhstan via submission in the quarterfinals. She defeated Odgerel Batbayar of Mongolia in the Round of 16 in a similar fashion.
Her golden finish is a redemption of sorts, having only settled for the bronze in the 2018 Asian Games held in Palembang, Indonesia.
Tears welled up as Ochoa was interviewed by One Sports, recounting the challenges she encountered on her journey to compete in Hangzhou. She had flu in the past three days.
"Sobrang overwhelming kasi sobrang andaming nangyari. Akala ko hindi ko na kaya tapos yun, as in today, andami kong ininom na gamot para lang makalaban tapos na pull ko pa ang hip ko sa semis. Masakit sya, pero sabi ko ibibigay ko lahat, kahit hindi na ako makalakad, basta ibibigay ko lahat (It was very overwhelming because so many things happened. I thought I couldn't do it anymore and then as in today I took a lot of medicines just to fight and then I pulled my hip in the semis, it hurt. But I said I'll give it my all even if I can't walk anymore, as long as I give it my all)," she said.
Ochoa said a lot of her teammates got sick or injured.
One of them is Davao City's Marc Alexander Lim, who absorbed a 2-6 defeat at the hands of Mansur Khabibulla of Kazakhstan in their men -62kg semifinal.
Lim, in a Facebook chat with SunStar Davao, said: "I performed better than last year. Went back early from the States because I ruptured the extensor tendon in my hand, tore my sagittal band, and had an incomplete fracture in the second digit. Couldn't close a fist until one week ago."
The national jiu-jitsu team trained in the U.S. in preparation for the 19th Asian Games but Lim cut his training short to attend to his injuries. Regardless of his injuries, he subdued Syafiq Bin Shah Eran Amirul of Singapore, 3-2, in the Round of 32, and Mohammed Ajaj of Palestine, 2-0, in the Round of 16.
The Dabawenyo, however, lost to Abdulmalik Mohammad Almurdhi via submission in the quarterfinals. Lim bounced back with a 3-0 triumph in Repechage to arrange a bronze match against Khabibulla.
As of 6 p.m., the Philippines was in 22nd place in the medal standings with two golds, one silver, and 10 bronzes. MLSA