THE Philippines is sending not just one, but two world jiu-jitsu champions to next month's Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.

Battle-tested Annie Ramirez and Kimberly Custodio, who captured their third and fourth world titles in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, earlier this month, will lead the 15-member squad that is targeting nothing less than Asian Games glory.

The depth of the contingent reflects how quickly the sport has paid off for the country since jiu-jitsu was added to the Asian Games program at Jakarta in 2018, with Filipino fighters emerging as a regional force in the discipline.

The 35-year-old Ramirez is aiming for a second straight gold in the quadrennial meet after ruling the competition in Hangzhou, China three years ago. She will, however, move down from her usual -57-kilogram class to -52kg, where compatriot Kaila Napolis, a bronze medalist in Hangzhou, will also compete, giving the Philippines two returning medal winners in a single division.

Custodio, 39, will likewise shift divisions, moving up to -48kg from -45kg, the class in which she was untouchable in Abu Dhabi.

For Custodio, the Nagoya competition will be her Asian Games debut, and she hopes to make it as memorable as her Southeast Asian Games debut last year in Thailand, where she won gold. She will face teammate Jolly Gonzales Co in the same division.

Alexandria Luz Enriquez, who won gold at the Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China, in April, will also compete in the women's 63kg division alongside Andrea Lois Lao.

Also in action for the Philippines are Myron Myles Mangubat and Santino Luis Luzuriaga in the -62kg class; Marc Alexander Lim and Yman Xavier Baluyo in -69kg; Antonio Luigi Dy and Mark Constance Vergel in -77kg; Vito Luis Luzuriaga and David Miranda in -85kg; and Romeo John Arellano in -94kg.

The Filipinos won two gold medals and one bronze in Hangzhou and are expected to surpass that result in Nagoya, which hosts the 20th edition of the Games from September 19 to October 4.

— Joey Villar