PHILIPPINES FEMALE JUDO GOLD MEDALIST/JULY 9, 2015: Wearing her winning kimono dress, Kiyomi Watanabe member of the Judo Philippine team bite her gold medal she won during 2015 28th Sea Games in Singapore.(CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
The Cebu Provincial Board on Monday gave commendation to 18-year-old judo athlete Kiyumi Watanabe for bagging a gold medal for the Philippines in the 28th South East Asian Games.
The provincial board approved the resolution that would give P25,000 to Watanabe to inspire others in the sport.
“It is proper and fitting that we should give commendation for her great achievement and support her dreams and future endeavors in judo competitions and at the same time thank her for giving Cebu Province a chance to celebrate and be proud by extending financial assistance in the amount of P25,000 to inspire others to strive harder and fire-up their desires to be on top of their chosen sport and claim the feat to be one of Cebu’s best,” read the resolution authored by PB Raul Alcoseba.
The fund will be taken from the budget of the Cebu Provincial Sports Commission under the governor’s office.
Watanabe, a Filipino-Japanese with a Cebuana mother. She scored an ippon in the 3:36 mark defeating Senatham Orapin of Thailand in the women’s 57-63 kilograms finals last June 7.
READ: Cebuana wins gold in SEA Games
In an interview with Cebu Daily News, Watanabe said she gave up volleyball to get a better chance of winning gold as an individual in judo.
She will represent the Philippine Team next in the International Judo Federation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August./ PIT Intern Mariel Grabillo