Ellise Xoe (second from right) and Eliecha Zoey (rightmost) pose with their fellow Filipino teammates during the JJIF Asian Youth Jiu-Jitsu Championships in Abu Dhabi. | Contributed photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Philippine Youth National Jiu-Jitsu Team headed by world champions Eliecha Zoe Malilay and Ellise Xoe Malilay started their campaign in the Jiu-Jitsu International Federation (JJIF) Asian Youth Jiu-Jitsu Championships in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.
The Philippines sent an eight-man team to this international competition including the vaunted Cebuanas, Malilay siblings, who are currently based in Dubai, UAE.
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Eliecha will compete in the women’s under-21 -45-kilogram division, while her younger sister Ellise Xoe will vie in the women’s under-18 -40 kgs division.
The rest of the team is comprised of Yman Xavier Baluyo (men’s under-21 -69 kgs), Sebastien Blaize Cabanlig (Men’s Under 16 -48 kg), Earth Chang (Men’s Under 18 -56 kg), Sean Khale Juatan (Men’s Under 16 -48 kg), Sachi Khonghun – (Women’s Under 18 -52 kg), and Vito Luzuriaga (Men’s Under 18 -85 kg).
To recall, the Malilay siblings won the rare gold medal at the 2022 Abu Dhabi World Youth Jiu-Jitsu Championships.
Besides that, they’re the most experienced Jiu-Jitsu athletes on the team when it comes to the major international tournaments happening in Abu Dhabi.
The tournament already started on Monday and will wrap up on Wednesday, May 8.
It will be one of the many tournaments the Malilay siblings will be competing throughout the year.
Most recently, they ventured into another martial art discipline — Judo, during the Mohammad Bin Hamad Al Sharqi Ramadan Martial Art Course Competition in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates last month.
Eliecha Zoey bagged a silver medal in the Judo open belt category’s 52-kilogram division, while Ellise Xoe finished with a bronze medal in the Judo open belt -48 kg division.