HANGZHOU, China — For the most part of her final duel, Annie Ramirez was down.
But it was all part of the strategy.
Ramirez delivered a performance of a lifetime when she beat Galina Duvanova of Kazakhstan by points, 2-0, in the gold medal match of the women’s 57-kilogram jiu-jitsu event of the 19th Asian Games at the Xiaoshan Linpu Gymnasium here.
With the win, the 32-year-old Ramirez claimed the country’s third gold medal behind pole vaulter EJ Obiena and jiu-jitsu bet Meggie Ochoa.
Obiena, the second-best vaulter in the world, soared to a record-breaking 5.90 meters to open the country’s gold rush before Ochoa beat Balqees Abdulla of the United Arab Emirates in the final of the women’s 48-kilogram match to claim her first Asian Games crown.
Also emerging with an Asian Games medal for the vaunter national jiu-jitsu squad was Jenna Kaila Napolis, who clobbered Hessa Alshamsi of the United Arab Emirates in the consolation round of the women’s 52-kg class early in the day.
The national sepak takraw squad also made its presence felt in a productive day for Team Philippines as it claimed the silver medal following a 15-21, 11-21 setback to powerhouse Malaysia in the men’s regu event.
Prior to that, the squad composed of Jason Huerte, Rheyjey Ortuoste, Ronsited Gabayeron, Mark Joseph Gonzales, and Jon Lerry Rafael grabbed the bronze in the men’s quadrant event to underscore their best finish of two bronze medals since the sports was introduced in the Beijing Games in 1990.
All in all, the Filipinos have climbed to the 19th spot of the medal standings with three gold, two silver and 12 bronze medals. Their medal production, however, could still improve pending the result of the gold medal match of men’s basketball where Gilas Pilipinas is scheduled to battle Jordan late Friday.
Still, the day belonged to Ramirez.
In the gold medal match, the 33-year-old three-time Asian champion who shifted to jiu-jitsu after dominating the judo competition of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, allowed the taller Kazakh to operate on top.
It, however, was all part of her game plan as she gave the 24-year-old Duvanova a false sense of complacency before going for the kill in the final 20 seconds.
It was a sweet victory for Ramirez as she finally defeated Duvanova after being clobbered in the World Games in Birmingham last year.
“Somehow, it was part of the strategy,” said Ramirez, who had to battle injuries and anxiety brought by her forgettable performance in the previous Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018 before finally nailing the crown.
“Even if she was on top, I felt that I was still in control. As you can see, she wasn’t moving because she didn’t have control. She knows that once she loses her balance, I can easily sweep her. I know the momentum was already on my side.”
She added that striking in the latter part of the match had been her strategy.
“Sometimes, it looks ugly because I was down and my opponent was on top,” she said.
“But it was all part of the strategy. That’s really my game.”
Ramirez said there’s more to come.
“We’re still far from retiring,” she said, wiping off the tears of joy that came with her surprise victory.
“We’re still young.”
