Judo sees six SEAG golds despite judokas' retirement

LONDON – Despite the retirement of judokas Hoshina Tomohiko and John Baylon, judo president David Carter is hoping his sport will produce three to six gold medals in next year’s Myanmar Southeast Asian Games through a program supported by the Philippine Sports Commission.

Carter told The STAR six judokas are in the priority list he will submit to the PSC for support in the country’s buildup for the biennial meet set December next year.

The judokas are former gold medalist Nancy Quillotes (-45 kg), former bronze medal winner Dennis Catipon (-66 kg), promising 16-year-old Fil-Japanese Kiyomi Watanabe (-70kg) Jenny Lou Mosqueda (-57 kg) and Gilbert Ramirez (-73 kg).

Upon arrival in Manila from London, Carter said he would soon finalize the memorandum agreement the PSC will enter into with its Japanese counterpart.

The first part of the training will start immediately and end in December. After the Christmas break, the judokas will be back in Japan for another four-month training. After a brief stay in Manila, they will be back in Japan for the last phase leading to the Myanmar Games.

Watanabe is based in Japan but could join the team in training.

Carter said Hoshina, 25, had already informed him long before the London Games that he would be retiring right after leaving Manila for Japan where he will resume his teaching position in Fuji City.

“I tried to convince him to stay two more years for the SEA Games where he has a good chance for a gold medal if the event is included, and in the Asian Games in Icheon, Korea,” Carter said.

Carter hopes Hoshina’s decision is not final.

‘’Baka mapilit pa natin. Tutal naman, he has represented the country a lot of times already. Sa tingin ko,pagbibigyan tayo.’’

Hoshina, whose father is a Japanese national married to a Malolos, Bulacan native, was so devastated by his loss to Korean Kim Sung-min that he refused to talk to anyone on his trip back to the Athletes Village.

Pitted against a tough Korean, Hoshina lost by ‘’ippon’’ after he was thrown to the canvas barely 1 minute and 05 seconds gone in the five-minute +100kg encounter.

Carter said Hoshina really felt sad about that loss.

’’But he’s okay now. He has that ready smile for all us again,’’he said.

And Carter hopes the affable judoka plays for the Philippines again.

He added that Baylon, who competed in a record 16 SEA Games since the Philippines’ first participation in 1977, said the 47-year-old warrior has indicated a desire to retire and get a coaching job.

Baylon participated in all SEA Games with a record 16 gold medals, beaten for the first and last time in 2011 by a rival twice younger. The only time he did not compete was in 1999 when the sport was not held in Brunei.

Carter said the PSC wants a six-gold medal sweep although his projection is a minimum of three, with two silvers and one bronze.

The Philippine team’s Olympic campaign is backed by ICTSI, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Procter & Gamble, Petron, Smart Sports, TV5, PSC, Philracom, Samsonite and Mizuno.