Philippines' Kim Custodio in action. POC Media Pool
BANGKOK — Kimberly Custodio and Dean Roxas stamped their class in the jiu-jitsu ne-waza event at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games at the Ronnaphakat Building Navaminda Kasatiryahiraj Air Force Academy on Thursday.
Custodio, a three-time world champion, delivered the gold for the day, emerging victorious over home bet Sugun Nutchaya in the women’s 48kg ne-waza event.
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The match was a nip-and-tuck affair before Custodio scored three points by establishing control on top of Nutchaya in the last 30 seconds of the match. The official gave Custodio the much-needed points and enough breathing room to finish strong.
The win gave Custodio a gold in her first SEA Games stint.
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On the other hand, Roxas dominated the match en route to a quick submission victory in the men’s 85kg ne-waza final against Singapore’s Aacus Hou Yu Ee, giving the Philippines its fourth gold medal overall.
“I went through a lot this year. I got injured in Japan like three weeks, almost three weeks ago. So I thought I wasn't going to compete.” said Roxas, who also won the gold in the same event in 2019.
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“Grateful to be here. Grateful to just, you know, soak in the moment. Represent the country and get another gold for the Philippines.”
The other Filipino in the final, Yman Baluyo, who fell short of the gold in the men’s ne-waza 69kg against Vietnam’s Dang Dinh Tung, losing by submission.
Earlier in the day, the Philippines also nabbed three bronze medals through Kaila Napolis, Marc Lim, and Vito Luzuriaga.