MANILA, Philippines — Judoka Kiyomi Watanabe is “unofficially” the country’s fifth qualified bet to this year’s Tokyo Olympics.
Philippine Judo Federation president Dave Carter yesterday told The STAR the 24-year-old Watanabe has secured a berth via the Continental Quota qualification with his 38th ranking in the world in the women’s 63-kilogram division.
“If the qualification cut is now, Kiyomi is qualified,” said Carter, who is also an executive board member of the Philippine Olympic Committee. “The only reason why we don’t want to announce it yet is because officially the cutoff is by the end of May.
“The final, official word will be released by the International Judo Federation by first week of June,” he added.
By June, Watanabe, a four-time gold medal winner in the Southeast Asian Games and silver medalist in the 2017 Asian Games, will thus join gymnast Caloy Yulo, pole-vaulter EJ Obiena and boxers Eumir Felix Marcial and Irish Magno in the list of Tokyo-bound Phl bets.