By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
ONE of the faces of the growing sport of jiu-jitsu in the country, 27-year-old Meggie Ochoa has gone a long way in just a short time since picking up the sport. In just six years, she has given pride and honor to the country by winning top medals in various international competitions, the most recent of which was in the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) held in September in Turkmenistan.
BusinessWorld caught up with the champion jiu-jitsu grappler in the thanksgiving for athletes and media by sports apparel brand Under Armour, which Ms. Ochoa is a brand ambassador, where she got to share her journey in the sport, her AIMAG experience and the direction jiu-jitsu is going in the country, among others.
Below is the Q&A.
BusinessWorld (BW): How did you start in the sport and how has the journey been for you so far?
Meggie Ochoa (MO): I started in jiu-jitsu after college. When I was in college I was in track and field [in Ateneo]. I started not in jiu-jitsu right away by in mixed martial arts as a hobby and I wanted really to fight but my problem was I could not find an opponent with the same size and weight as mine. So my coach told me to switch to jiu-jitsu and I liked it. I competed in the world championship in 2014 through crowd-funding and then by God’s grace I got the world championship. I did it in 2015 and 2016 as well.
BW: You recently competed in the 2017 AIMAG where you won gold; can you talk about your experience there?
MO: It was my first time in the Asian indoor because the national team of jiu-jitsu is still young, being established only in 2016. The experience with the national team was very exciting. It was really an honor to represent and bring pride to the country. It was a childhood dream of mine. AIMAG was the biggest so far I competed in with the national team and it was not easy but I just thought of just giving pride to the country and glory to God and thankfully it paid off and resulted into something good.
BW: How has the pickup been for jiu-jitsu in the country?
MO: It’s definitely growing in the country. Before there were only a handful of competitions here but now almost every month there is a competition. More and more athletes are now competing for the country abroad which only shows how the skill level of the Filipinos are rising. In Southeast Asia I think we are number one in it and it only set to go to greater heights and the establishment of a national team should help.
BW: How does it feel to be supported by a brand like Under Armour?
MO: Definitely it’s a huge honor and privilege to be supported by Under Armour. We know it’s a global brand and for them to support me is something I never really imagined. I like their products apart from how they care about the athletes.
BW: The Year 2017 was another good one for you, how do you see the coming year?
MO: Even better in 2018. Looking forward to the Asian Games in August and it’s going to be the first time that jiu-jitsu will be featured in the Games. We have yet to know the full details of the qualifiers for the Asian Games but we are starting to prepare for it.
BW: How do you see the growth of jiu-jitsu in the country moving forward?
MO: Annie Ramirez also won in the AIMAG. It was her and me who won gold and it’s really amazing that Filipino women won the gold in a male-dominated sport. Women can certainly benefit from jiu-jitsu in terms of confidence and self defense, and we know how the world is right now. I see the sport growing exponentially in the country moving forward. And depending on the growth of the national team I think the potential is high.
