PH judoka Kiyomi Watanabe qualifies for Tokyo Olympics

Kiyomi Watanabe is the latest addition in the growing list of Filipino athletes seeing action in the Tokyo Olympics.

The Filipino-Japanese judoka formalized her entry after the International Judo Federation released the final Olympic rankings on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old placed 41st in the women's -63 kg with 1,506 points, making herself the 14th Filipino athlete to punch a ticket to this year's Summer Games.

She will join the Philippine contingent that already features EJ Obiena (pole vault), Carlos Yulo (gymnastics), Hidilyn Diaz and Elreen Ando (weightlifting), Eumir Marcial, Irish Magno, Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio (boxing), Criz Nievarez (rowing), Kurt Barbosa (taekwondo), Margielyn Didal (skateboarding), Jayson Valdez (shooting), and Juvic Pagunsan (golf).

This will also mark Watanabe's Olympic debut after a successful stint in Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and other regional competitions.

From 2013 through 2019, the 5-foot-7 athlete has won gold in the biennial meet while copping a bronze in the 2011 edition. She also brought home gold during the 2014 Asian youth Judo Championship in Hong Kong.

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA News