Filipino judoka Chino Sy Tancontian made waves in Gold Coast, Australia, after bagging a silver medal in the men’s half-heavyweight (-100kg) division of the 2025 Oceania Judo Open on Sunday.
The Davao-born powerhouse went on a tear through the prelims slamming Indonesia’s Ganding Sothama, outgrappling USA’s Takahashi, and dominating Australia’s Rigby to punch his ticket to the gold medal bout.
In the finals, Tancontian came out firing, scoring a quick waza-ari within the opening minute against Oliver Barrat of Great Britain. But Barrat turned the tables late, catching Sy with a clean ippon to steal the victory.
Still, Sy’s silver marks a breakthrough for Philippine judo, his best international finish to date, and a strong sign of things to come as he builds toward Olympic contention.
With composure, grit, and world-class execution, Chino Sy Tancontian just showed the region that Philippine judo is no pushover.
