A 33-year-old athlete from Barangay Baluarte, Molo District in Iloilo City copped gold medal in the World Jiu-jitsu Championships under the Masters 1 Heavy Division in Nagoya, Japan.

An overjoyed Jose Martin Martinez said that his sacrifices were all worth it.

He said he went through four months of rigorous training prior to the tournament in September 2024 participated by over four thousand athletes all over the world.

“Mas kinabahan ako sa waiting area kung ikumpara sa kaba nang nasa actual nang nakikipagbuno. Never say die lang, go lang dahil sapat naman sa conditioning at sa training,” Martinez said.

He underscored that the recent feat is his biggest win since he started joining competitions in the said sport.

In 2022, he won silver medal in a tournament in Manila.

“We are talking about global accomplishment and people all over the world especially those near Japan came to Japan just to compete. Kahit mga tawo sa Brazil, sa Pakistan, Guam,” Martinez added.

Further, he shared that aside from fighting skills honed, he has come to adore jiu-jitsu for its beneficial impact on his body.

In 2014, he already took on the sport but stopped for seven years. He went to embrace back the sport in 2021 after he got overweight.

He lost an impressive 20 kilos the soonest upon his return to the sport.

“Brazilian jiu-jitsu has no shortcuts so you need to come back everyday. You need to develop your discipline. Huwag ma-discourage kung alam mong lanky ka. Brazilian jiu-jitsu was actually made for weak people,” he emphasized to inspire budding, and would-be, enthusiasts.

As of posting time, Martinez is preparing for his next competition in November 2024.