Judo chief takes new tack in boosting Pinoy drive

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PHILIPPINE Judo Federation president Alexander “Ali” Sulit hopes to take a slightly different tack in boosting the sport locally and national judokas, including looking beyond Japan, where the discipline was born, to further enhance the PJF’s programs.

“Basically, we aim to expand the exposure of our athletes and if you want to have improvement, we need growth. We can’t grow if we keep doing the same things,” said Ali, who was unanimously given a fresh four-year mandate by the PJF members last month.

“If we want better results, we have to do something different. Right now, we are in the period of exploration. Right now, we want to see how they can pick up new moves and methods,” he said.

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Sulit said the national team’s exposure in the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam last October in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates was an eye-opener for the athletes.

“Although nothing is solid yet, we want more training in exposure in the Middle East. Definitely, it was a shock to their system, contrasting with the Oriental and Japanese style they are used to. But there is definitely something there,” he explained.

As part of the more scientific and systematic approach he wants for the PH judokas, Sulit has hired noted strength and conditioning coach Edsel Segovia to further improve the stamina and endurance of national athletes.

“Segovia has earned his strength and conditioning credentials overseas and he was the among those credited for the success of national jiu-jitsu team in the 2019 Philippines Southeast Asian Games,” said Sulit of the team that won five gold, five silver and three bronze medals in the regional meet.

“He (Segovia) also worked with the Fiji national judo team for two to three years so now he is back in the country I am very happy that he came on board just in time to boost the training of our athletes,” he added.

Sulit said they had also hired UE judo varsity head coach Rod Rodriguez as a member of the national coaching staff while Karen Gaerlan was made the national team manager of both the men’s and women’s squads to address their logistical and training requirements.

Also in the works, Sulit said, is allowing overseas-based national judokas to train more in the country with their Manila counterparts to foster a closer bond among the members.

“So you may see more of two-time Olympic Games veteran Kiyomi Watanabe and the Nakano siblings Shugen and Kisei, and Rena Furukawa coming to train in Manila often so they can foster a closer relationship with the rest of the team members,” he said.

“We recognize all of their contributions to the flag and country as well as for the development of judo here,” Sulit stressed.

He said the nationals would be gearing up for the Asian Judo Championships in April in Bangkok, Thailand, and most likely the Tokyo-based PH members will be in Manila for a few weeks before the entire team competes in the Thai capital.

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