CAGAYAN de Oro City — A Cagayan de Oro judo club showed it can compete with the country’s best, winning gold, silver and bronze medals at the 2026 Philippine National Kata and Team Judo Championships held Aug. 21–23 at Nazareth Gymnasium. 

Jigoro Kano Judo Lab topped the Juniors Mixed Team competition for gold, while its Youth team won silver and its Seniors squad added bronze. 

The results reflected the club’s depth, with athletes competing across different age groups and both technical Kata and team fighting events. 

Coaches John Avydas Reontoy and Euana Tagapulot guided the team through the three-day national competition, where athletes had to manage multiple events and matches. 

Teamwork delivers across divisions 

The club’s medal haul came from a broad roster rather than a single standout athlete. 

In the Ju-No-Kata events, Youth competitors Alice Nicole Quitoriano, Saphirah Ybañez, Joseff Genson and Matt Job Noel Macusi represented the club. 

Juniors entries included Hiezel Sildo, Real Magadan, Maria Elaine Mae Camilotes and Macy Jade Jumalon, while Tagapulot, Pebbles Yvonne Jabay, Sildo and Magadan competed in the Seniors division. 

The club also fielded athletes in other Kata events. Johan Genson and Ike Calapiz competed in Nage-No-Kata Juniors, while Gervee Bernandez and Zandrew Hugo Agudo paired in Katame-No-Kata Juniors. 

Ernest Rafael Bitara and Nathan Joseph Bahian represented the club in Katame-No-Kata Seniors.

Three teams, three medals 

The club’s strongest showing came in the Mixed Team competition. 

The Youth team of Quitoriano, Genson, Ybañez, Kayden Miñoza, Renalyn Laque and Rodnel Cabisay won silver. 

The Juniors team captured gold through Hiezel Sildo, Johan Genson, Jewel Mae Ellevera, John Virgil Galla, Mary Dean Abato, Ronald Raut, Jumalon, Gabriel Stephen Sayson, Camilotes and Agudo. 

The Seniors team of Sildo, Mark Yamson, Claire Galla, Agudo, Tagapulot and Justin Cuaresma completed the medal sweep with bronze. 

Staying focused through fatigue 

For the judokas, competing in a national team format meant staying sharp even as matches and events accumulated over three days. 

Agudo, a third-kyu brown belt who competed in both Kata and fighting events, said the team’s shared responsibility helped keep him focused during difficult matches. 

Knowing that each match contributed to the team’s overall standing pushed him to remain composed and compete until the final second, he said. 

Lessons beyond the medals

 

For Tagapulot, the national tournament was also an opportunity for Cagayan de Oro athletes to learn from some of the country’s top judokas and coaches.

 

Exposure to national-level competitors gave the club’s athletes a closer look at advanced techniques, discipline and the mindset needed for high-level competition, she said.

 

The experience, she added, should help build their confidence for future national competitions.

 

With the championships over, Jigoro Kano Judo Lab returns to regular training, carrying the lessons from its three-medal performance into its next competitions.