TAKE A BOW: Ochoa retires from competitive jiu-jitsu

After an illustrious career, jiu-jitsu star Meggie Ochoa calls it a career as she retires from national team duty.

Ochoa, 34, said it was last year’s stint in the JJIF Jiu Jitsu World Championships in Greece last October that became her indicator that she needed to step down from competitive play.

Ochoa lost to Kacie Tan of Thailand in the second round of the women’s -48-kilogram event.

“Little did I know that this competition would be my last one for the national team. It was difficult for me to post about it because I just had too many things to say,” Ochoa said.

“It’s a bittersweet ending that leads to an exciting and unpredictable new beginning, and my chief end remains the same no matter what chapter of my life I’ll be in.”

Ochoa has had many medals during her stint with the national team.

The Ateneo de Manila University alumnus won three World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship gold medals in 2014 as a white belt and again in 2015 and 2016 as a blue belt.

Apart from jiu-jitsu, Ochoa also tried her hand with judo and even mixed-martial arts.

Ochoa also won a mint in the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Turkmenistan after beating Le Thu Trang Du of Vietnam in the women’s ne-waza -45-kg final.

One of Ochoa’s biggest wins was at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China in 2023 as she clinched the gold medal in the women’s -48-kg division after beating Balqees Abdulla of the United Arab Emirates.

What made the victory sweeter was that she did it despite having the flu and recovering from a hip injury.

“I have been sick since I arrived here. I tried all sorts of medicine to get well and prayed hard to give me the strength to compete,’’ said Ochoa, who uncontrollably wept after her Asiad triumph.

Ochoa is not leaving the sport.

“I am planning on focusing on coaching the youth national team and on building my club Solas Jiu Jitsu,” she added.