DAVAO City's six-member jiu-jitsu team is excited to compete in the Batang Pinoy National Championships 2024, set for November 23 to 28 in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.
Coach Marc Alexander Lim, a gold medalist in jiu-jitsu at the 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games 2023 in Cambodia, shared his pride in the milestone. “It is such an honor. This is the first time jiu-jitsu has been included in any national youth competition in the Philippines. Usually, when our students compete, they represent themselves or their teams. This time, they are representing Davao City,” he said.
In an interview with SunStar Davao during the delegation's send-off ceremony at the Almendras Gym Davao City Recreation Center on Monday, November 18, Lim acknowledged the added pressure.
"Medyo may added pressure and a lot of them are first timers. Sabi nila pressure is a privilege (There’s added pressure, and most of them are first-timers. But as they say, pressure is a privilege). We are just happy to be here. We'll do our best and cherish the moment," Lim said.
He revealed that he reached out to the Sports Development Division of the City Mayor’s Office (SDD-CMO) officer-in-charge Michael Denton "Mikey" Aportadera after learning from the jiu-jitsu national association that the sport would be included in this year’s Batang Pinoy program for athletes aged 17 and below.
He conducted tryouts and ensured the athletes' commitment to training despite their school responsibilities.
The team is bannered by Jewel Empleo (girls juvenile under 52kg), Ethan Arañez (teens boys under 56kg), TJ Pineda (teens boys under 69kg), Judd Tancontian (juvenile boys under 73kg), Kristofer Velasco (teens boys under 62kg), and Gabriel Igcasenza (juvenile boys under 55Kg).
While Lim refrains from setting expectations, he believes the team has a good chance if they execute what they’ve learned during training.
"If they apply their training effectively, they can win," Lim added.
Jiu-jitsu is gaining traction in Davao City, but Lim noted that it’s not as widespread as in Manila or Cebu.
The sport’s inclusion in the Batang Pinoy National Championships is a significant step in promoting it among Dabawenyos.
Meanwhile, the Davao City delegation to the Batang Pinoy Games has begun arriving in Palawan in batches. The city is fielding 287 athletes competing in 26 sports, including archery, arnis, athletics, badminton, basketball 3x3, beach volleyball, boxing, chess, cycling, dancesport, futsal, gymnastics, jiu-jitsu, judo, karate-do, kickboxing, kurash, lawn tennis, muay Thai, pencak silat, sepak takraw, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, weightlifting, and wushu.
The team sponsors are Limitless Fitness and Martial Arts, Limitless Coffee and More, 82 Rising, Revere, VHTS, Urban Ground Coffee, Axzeen Security Agency, Halifax Glass, Words and Pixels, and SaveCon. MLSA