SEA Games: Annie Ramirez delivers gold medal for PHL in jiu-jitsu

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Annie Ramirez is just unstoppable.

After bagging the gold medals during the 2019 and 2022 Southeast Asian Games in the jiu-jitsu 55-kg women’s division, the Filipina prized athlete earned her third-straight SEAG championship title after reigning supreme in the -57kg Ne-waza no-gi category last May 6, 2023, held at the Chroy Changvar Convention Center Hall B in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Ramirez dominated her way in the women’s jiu-jitsu after taking down Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam to help the PHL delegation rack its second gold medal in the sport.

The national team veteran hardly broke a sweat in the elimination rounds and pulled off a spectacular win in the finals against Vietnam.

Ramirez executed her game plan to perfection and scored a submission victory over Thi Thuong Le of Vietnam via a knee bar to claim the middle spot of the podium.

Despite the strength that the Vietnamese finalist displayed in the gold medal match, Ramirez was still able to outsmart her and unleashed the finishing submission technique in the most perfect time.

Aside from her three-year SEAG domination, Ramirez also impressed when she won in a new weight class this 2023.

Last 2019 in the PHL edition of the SEAG, Ramirez nabbed the win in the -55kg and followed her gold medal finish with an impressive run in the -62kg in Vietnam last year.

Kaila Napolis, the PHL women’s representative in the -52kg ne-waza category, gave the country’s first gold medal in jiu-jitsu last May 4, 2023.

The Cambodia SEA games is still ongoing and will end on May 17, 2023, where the PHL is looking to reclaim the gold medal they lost last edition.