Kaiya Pangelinan pulls guard against Tate Manglona during the Patgon Jiu-Jitsu fundraiser tournament at the Ada gym on Saturday.
Gabe Mitchell controls the ground game against Elijah Pangelinan during the Patgon Jiu-Jitsu fundraiser tournament at the Ada gym on Saturday.
THE Patgon Jiu-Jitsu fundraiser tournament on Saturday was a success with a total of 33 young participants at the Ada gym.
The top three of each of the seven categories received awards for their skills and execution.
In the Absolute Weight category, Gabe Mitchell reigned supreme to bag the gold medal.
The 13-year-old Grace Christian Academy eighth grader participated in the past two Patgon Jiu-Jitsu Tournaments on Guam, and his experience was what set him apart from the rest of the competition on Saturday.
“I feel pretty proud of myself. My opponent was pretty heavy, so it was hard to carry him and push him out of the way,” Mitchell said. Throughout the final match, his strategy was to get the takedown and score points while keeping his guard against his opponent, Elijah Pangelinan, who took home the silver medal.
Hudson Igisomar finished third and received the bronze.
“It’s pretty fun — it’s a very entertaining sport,” said Mitchell, adding that he has been training for two years now. “I want to thank my coach, Cuki Alvarez, and the people cheering me on.”
In the Peewee 4 category, it was Alexaner Diaz who won the gold via submission. The 11-year-old said the competition was great and that he won his final match against Angeline Inos by listening to his brother’s call-outs from the sideline, which resulted in a submission — Americana — victory.
Inos settled for the silver medal while Iris Quitugua claimed the bronze.
In the Peewee 3 category, Kaiya Pangelinan went the distance to earn the gold medal. She said she faced tough opponents, and that in the final match, she went with the flow and looked for openings to eventually win by points against Franklin Camacho.
“It feels great because I trained and tried my hardest to win the gold.” She thanked “Professor Cuki, Coach Ken, the Trench Tech kids, the BJJ squad, and all the sponsors who made this event happen.”
The silver medal was claimed by Franklin Camacho while Tate Manglona received the bronze.
In the Kids 1 category, “Justo” Jeremiah Quitugua took the gold by submission against Trey Manglona, who brought home the silver.
“[The competition] was pretty good,” said Quitugua. Unfortunately, he cannot go to Guam this year, but he plans to compete there next year.
Raymond Hazlett won the bronze.
In the Peewee 1 category, Sophia Choi won the gold, Uriah Sablan took the silver while Ethan Kim settled for the bronze.
In the Peewee 2 category, Deighton Muna won the gold; Hani Reyes, the silver; and Jesse Concepcion, the bronze.
In the Kids 2 category, Mateo Almada won the gold; Matua Puguon, silver, and Noel Quitugua, bronze.
“The turnout was over and beyond what I expected,” Trench Tech founder Cuki Alvarez said. “Everybody pulled together and all the kids prepped for this event for the last three weeks to a month…. This is the first of many more to come — this was sort of a kickstart.”
He added, “We’re giving that simulation on how it’s really going to be in Guam. We wanted to really give that ‘tournament feel.’ All funds raised are going to the airfare of the kids that will participate in Guam’s Patgon Jiu-Jitsu Tournament.”
Alvarez is hoping to bring 10 or more kids to the tournament, which will be held on Oct. 21 .
