Jiu-jitsu champion Meggie Ochoa finds new calling as youth crew coach

Already retired as a nationwide athlete, world titleholder Meggie Ochoa shifts her focus to molding the subsequent era of Filipino champions as she coaches the nationwide youth jiu-jitsu crew that competed within the Asian Youth Video games

MANAMA, Bahrain – Filipina jiu-jitsu icon Meggie Ochoa has just about conquered all of it, and now, she’s up for a brand new problem.

Ochoa, 35, has shifted her focus to molding the subsequent era of Filipino champions as she coaches the nationwide youth jiu-jitsu crew that competed right here within the Asian Youth Video games.

“My motivation is to construct up our youth athletes who will take our place within the grownup crew sooner or later, for them to degree as much as the purpose that they’ll outnumber the medals we delivered prior to now,” stated Ochoa in a mixture of Filipino and English.

Her wards have a protracted option to go, with Ochoa being one of the adorned jiu-jitsu practitioners within the continent.

Ochoa earned a chunk of historical past as the primary Filipino to rule the JJIF World Jiu-Jitsu Championships when she topped the ladies’s 49kg class in 2018 in Sweden after which struck gold once more within the ladies’s -48kg class in 2022 within the United Arab Emirates.

Except for these two world titles, Ochoa additionally received golds within the World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu World Championship, the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Video games, the Asian Jiu-Jitsu Championships, and the Southeast Asian Video games.

Ochoa then accomplished her golden assortment following her triumph within the 2023 Asian Video games in China.

Her days donning the nationwide colours, although, are over as Ochoa retired from the nationwide crew again in January after discovering a brand new calling.

“To be trustworthy, earlier than I actually thought I used to be simply going to be an athlete all the way in which. However I had alternatives to teach in 2024, and by some means, I actually discovered success in it and I noticed that I used to be keen to surrender being an athlete than to surrender teaching to give attention to being an athlete,” stated Ochoa.

However teaching is not any simple feat, even when Ochoa has a long time of expertise within the sport.

“I discover teaching tougher as a result of it’s a must to take into consideration a variety of issues and it’s a must to handle your feelings as a result of it’s a must to be up to the mark and also you additionally must be composed for the athletes, for them to not get rattled,” stated Ochoa.

“Whenever you’re a coach, you consider your athletes, their opponents, and the crew as a complete. There are a variety of completely different layers. However it’s thrilling and difficult for me,” she added. “After I’m challenged, I’m extra desirous to study and to do higher.”

“I believe being a coach is absolutely tougher, however additionally it is actually fulfilling.”

And Ochoa will not be settling for much less.

“I’m know I’m not on the degree I need to be. I nonetheless have quite a bit to work on as a coach. I need to be the absolute best coach I could be, identical to how I sought to be the very best athlete I could be,” she stated.

The 18-athlete jiu-jitsu crew, which can also be coached by Christopher Gallego, delivered a pair of medals for the Philippines, with Isabella Butler successful the ladies’ -63kg gold and Mara-Alexandria Sarinas getting the ladies’ -57kg bronze. – Rappler.com