Phl judokas seek Olympic qualifying points in World Judo

MANILA, Philippines - Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Nancy Quillotes and Fil-Japanese Tomohiko Hoshino will compete in the World Judo Tour’s Judo Grand Slam Paris meet on Feb. 4-5 in France, seeking precious ranking points in a bid to qualify for the London Olympics.

“Our target is to get one or two wins to earn points and boost our chances of qualifying for the Olympics,” said Quillotes, the SEA Games’ reigning queen of the -45kg event, in Filipino.

The International Judo Federation will award berths to London using a ranking system based on judokas’ performances in its Grand Slam, World Cup, Grand Prix, Masters, and Continental and World Championships through May. 

The top 22 in the May 1 world ranking list in each division in the male category and top 14 in the women’s side will directly qualify. Additional slots will be awarded via the Continental Qualification, IF quota, and tripartite commission places. A one-bet limit on a country’s entry per weight category has been set, giving Quillotes a chance of climbing up the ranks after implementation of the quota.

As of Jan. 18, Quillotes stands at 68th spot in the women’s -48kgs with 49 points, gaining from a victory (worth 20 points) she pulled off in the 2010 World Championships in Japan.

Hoshino, who’s training in Tokyo, ranks 99th in the men’s +100 kgs event worldwide with 27 points.

The duo are also eyeing participation in the Asian championships in April in Uzbekistan and other Olympic-qualifying meets, aiming to become the first Pinoy judokas in the Olympiad since Benjamin McMurray and John Baylon in 1988.