By MARK REY MONTEJO
Two-time Olympian Kiyomi Watanabe headlines the Philippine national judo team that is eager to pull the rug from under traditional powerhouse nations at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya in Japan next month.
The 29-year-old Watanabe spearheads the 8-strong squad of male and female alongside rising star Chino Sy Tancontian, who also competes in wrestling and sambo tournaments.
Out to improve on her seventh-place finish in the women’s -63kg event of the previous edition held in Hangzhou, China nearly three years ago, Watanabe moves to the heavier class in -78kg where she looks to secure a medal this time.
She is joined by Sy’s fellow University of Santo Tomas standout Khrizzie Pabulayan.
The painful quarterfinal exit ended the mission of the Cebu City pride to extend her winning streak since her silver show in the 2018 Jakarta Asiad.
Watanabe’s silver is the first and only Asian Games medal of the Philippines in judo so far.
Tancontian, on the other hand, hopes to make his maiden Asian Games very memorable as he is fancied to do well in the men’s -100kg.
Other members of the men’s team are Daryl John Mercado (-60kg), Keisei Nakano (-66kg), who also competed in 2018 Asiad installment, Gabriel Benedict Quitain (-73kg), and Eskelen Kedo (+100kg).
Also tipped to go deep is rising star Joemari Heart Rafael, who bagged silver in 2025 SEA Games, vies in the women’s -57kg.
Apart from Watanabe and Nakano, the rest of the team members are first-timers in the continental showpiece.
