Davao City's decorated multi-sports athlete Chino Sy Tancontian added a feather to his cap by winning a gold medal for the Philippines at the 2024 SJJIF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship held over the weekend at the Aichi Budokan in Nagoya, Japan.
He defeated Japan's Carpe Diem Hope in the male blue adult super heavyweight championship match with a left-side Ippon Seio Nage and cutting armbar submission.
Tancontian, who previously claimed gold at the 2024 Grand Prix de Sambo de Paris on June 1, 2024, expressed his joy with this latest victory, marking his debut on the world stage in jiu-jitsu.
When asked about the transition from Sambo to Jiu-Jitsu, the Dabawenyo champion said the adjustment was minimal.
(The adjustment wasn’t too difficult since Sambo is versatile, incorporating both groundwork and stand-up techniques. It also includes wrestling, so the change wasn’t that significant. However, I did need some time to get used to the tournament flow and the rules)," he said in a Messenger interview with SunStar Davao.
The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) congratulated Tancontian, praising his achievement. "We're so proud of you, Chino - keep raising the bar and representing (the country) with pride," the POC stated on its official Facebook page.
In addition to jiu-jitsu and sambo, Tancontian competes in wrestling and is a consistent judo gold medalist for the University of Santo Tomas in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (Uaap).
Tancontian is the youngest of two children of Paolo, president of the Pilipinas Sambo Federation Inc., and Janet. His older sister, Sydney, is a consistent bronze medalist in World Sambo competitions.
Another Filipino athlete, Godwin Amos Langbayan, also excelled in the event, taking home two gold medals in the men's master 1 Gi 76kg and men's master No Gi 74kg categories. MLSA