Manama, Bahrain — Filipina jiu-jitsu icon Meggie Ochoa has found a new calling in the sport she once dominated as part of the national team.

The 35-year-old now coaches the national youth jiu-jitsu team competing in the Asian Youth Games here with the goal of developing a new crop of talents who will not just continue, but hopefully, surpass her and her fellow champions’ international exploits.

“My motivation is to build up our young athletes so that we will have a lot of successors in the future. We want them to level up to the point that they will be able to surpass the medals that we delivered for the country in the past,” Ochoa said at the sidelines of the jiu-jitsu event here.

Her resume is nothing short of remarkable.

Ochoa made history as the first Filipino gold medalist in the JJIF World Jiu-Jitsu Championships when she topped the women’s -49-kilogram category in 2018 in Sweden then struck gold again in the women’s -48kg class in 2022 in UAE.

She also won gold medals in the World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu World Championship, the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, the Asian Jiu-Jitsu Championships, and the Southeast Asian Games.

To complete her golden collection, Ochoa earned the top prize in the women’s -48kg division of Asian Games in China in 2023, a little over a year before she retired as a national athlete.

“Actually, I really thought that I will be an athlete all the way,” she said.

“But when I had an opportunity to coach in 2024, I found fulfillment and I realized that I’m willing to give up my playing career and focus more into coaching.”

Ochoa admitted she still has a long way to go as a coach, but her experiences as an athlete have helped ease the transition into her new role.

And it helps that she is not alone as she shares the coaching duties with Christopher Gallego, with 18 athletes competing in these Games under their guidance.

“It’s harder to become a coach because you’re thinking about a lot of things and juggling a lot of emotions. You need to manage and be on top of everything so you have to be composed so that your athletes will not get rattled as well,” Ochoa said.

“If you’re a coach, you’re thinking of different layers. But it’s exciting and challenging, especially if I feel that we still have a long way to go. I’m also challenged, knowing that I still want to learn and deliver.”