SEA Games judo winner visits guv

CEBU, Philippines - A proposal has been drafted for approval by the Cebu Provincial Board (PB) to commend a young Cebuana for grabbing two gold medals in the recently-concluded 27th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.

PB Member Thadeo Ouano is authoring a resolution to honor 16-year-old Kiyomi Watanabe, who was born in Mandaue City and whose mother is from Toledo City, Cebu.

Wanatabe and her mother Irene paid Capitol officials a courtesy call yesterday.

Irene told reporters that her daughter decided to join the Philippine Team because she found enjoyment with the group.

Vicente Fernandez, Philippine Judo Federation vice president, discovered Watanabe after he posted in a social networking site about a Judo tournament in Bangkok.

“Mi-react si maam Irene. I found out nga ang iyang anak sige og kadaog og (her daughter keeps on winning in) Judo sa Japan. I asked her to join the team,” Fernandez said, adding that Watanabe was supposedly groomed to join the Japan national team.

Watanabe started Judo when she was in Grade 5 in Japan.

She won a bronze medal during the 26th SEA Games in Thailand, representing the Philippines, and has qualified for the Asian Youth and Juniors Tournament in Beijing next year.

Irene said part of Watanabe’s training is taking 500 flights of stairs everyday.  Her daughter is eyeing to compete in the Brazil Judo Olympics in 2016.

“We are trying to expose her to international tournaments to earn points so she can qualify sa Olympics,” said Fernandez.

Rolando Llamas, the Filipino-Japanese teenager’s judo coach, said his ward is very determined.

Interviewed after Watanabe struck gold in Myanmar, Llamas called Watanabe the ‘future of the sport.”—(FREEMAN)