AS the Paris Olympics draws near, Kiyomi Watanabe, the pride of Philippine judo, is set to make her mark again on the world stage. With her qualification confirmed for the 2024 Games, Watanabe’s journey continues after her historic debut in Tokyo 2020.
Born on August 25, 1996, Watanabe is a Filipino-Japanese judoka raised by her Filipino mother and her Japanese father in Cebu province, Philippines. She migrated to Japan att eight years old and developed her passion for judo there.
Judo is deeply embedded in Japan and it played a significant role in Watanabe’s early exposure to the martial art. Her training in a culturally diverse environment honed her judo skills and geared her up to become a young judoka during her fifth grade.
Triumphs in international games
Watanabe’s passion for judo as a kid propelled her to new heights as a professional judoka of today’s generation, winning multiple medals in judo competitions.
Her first significant achievement was during the 2011 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, where she won a bronze medal in the -63 kg category. She continued to dominate the SEA Games, winning gold medals in 2013 (Naypyidaw, Myanmar), 2015 (Singapore), 2017 (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), and 2019 (Manila, Philippines). In addition to her SEA Games success, Watanabe bagged a gold medal at the 2014 Asian Youth Judo Championships in Hong Kong.
Photo Courtesy: Sabau Gabriela | International Judo Federation
Her prowess extended to larger regional and international competitions. At the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, she snagged a silver medal in the -63 kg division, solidifying her status as one of Asia’s top judokas. Watanabe also excelled in International Judo Federation (IJF) competitions, winning a bronze medal at the 2017 Paris Grand Slam, a prestigious event in the judo world.
She further demonstrated her skills by winning gold at the 2017 Asian Open Women’s Judo Championship in Taipei and a silver medal at the European Open Women’s Judo Championship in Austria.
Olympic journey
The pinnacle of Watanabe’s career came with her qualification to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she made history as the first Filipina judoka to compete in the Games.
Although she did not progress beyond Round 32, her participation was a historic milestone for Philippine judo. Leading up to the Olympics, she trained rigorously in Japan, sparring with male judokas at Waseda University under the guidance of experienced coaches.
Road to Paris
Watanabe is set to shine again at the upcoming Paris Olympics as she was announced in June as the judoka representative of the Philippines.
Ranked 92nd globally in the women’s -63 kg category, she secured her spot by clinching one of two continental quotas allotted for Asia. This qualification marks her second Olympic appearance and continues the Philippines’ streak of having a judo representative at the Games for the fourth time in a row.
Photo Courtesy: Klaus Müller | JudoInside
In an interview with Radyo Pilipinas, Ali Sulit, president of the Philippine Judo Federation, expressed admiration for Watanabe’s recent performance during sparring sessions with the National team, hopeful that she will bring the same level of intensity to the Paris Olympics.
“Me and the rest of the Philippine judo community know her expertise in judo where she wants to make her game okay, but during the last event, her preparation, she trained with us,” said Sulit. “I saw her focus on addressing all the aspects of the game, and I am actually excited to see that action in Paris.”
Watanabe will finalize her preparations in Japan under the guidance of Japanese coach Chuzo Matsumoto and training partner Chiri Nazawa.
She will arrive in Paris a week before the judo competition, scheduled from July 27 to August 3.
As Watanabe gears up for Paris, her early elimination in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will likely motivate her to improve her performance in Paris.
With her past successes at the Asian and Southeast Asian Games and extensive judo skills, the Filipino-Japanese judoka is determined to showcase a strong performance and win the Philippines a medal in the upcoming Olympic Games.
With reports from Kyla Marie B. Cuba
