MANILA, Philippines — Annie Ramirez enhanced her bid for the gold medal in this year’s Southeast Asian Games here, scoring a breakthrough in the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship in close fashion at the Mubadala Arena Wednesday. Ramirez, 28, fought American Sophia Dalpra to a 4-4 duel in the female purple belt 55-kilogram final but took the nod of the refs and was declared winner. It was actually Ramirez’s biggest triumph, overshadowing her gold medal feats in the Asian Beach Games and Ashgbagat Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, all in 2016. She and Margarita Ochoa, who also won a gold in last year’s World Championship in Malmo, Sweden, are tipped to spearhead the country’s bid in the sport in the upcoming SEAG. Ramirez now shifts her training and focus in a Mongolian tournament and will then step up her buildup for the biennial meet.

Source: Philippine Star April 25, 2019 16:11 UTC