Team Lakay athletes made a strong return to international competition, winning a total of 9 gold medals, 5 silver medals, and 4 bronze medals at the 2023 Pan Asian BJJFP Gi and No Gi International Open in Makati City, Philippines.
The Team Lakay, who are based in Baguio City, Philippines, had not competed in an international BJJ event in over 10 years. However, they showed no signs of rust, as they dominated the competition in both the gi and no gi divisions.
Leading the way for Team Lakay was Nahuel Gandolfi, who won gold medals in the no gi under 73.5kg and no gi absolute divisions. Gandolfi also won a silver medal in the gi under 76kg division.
Jhanlo Mark Sangiao also had a strong showing, winning gold medals in the 73.5kg and absolute divisions. Sangiao is currently preparing for an upcoming fight in ONE Championship.
Other gold medalists for Team Lakay included Carlo Von Bumina-ang (73kg), Jean Claude Saclag (67.5kg), Joris Jonker (85.5kg), Jaybe Ban-eg (79.5kg), and Ayan Ekef (juvenile boys 61.5kg).
Team Lakay also won silver medals in the gi under 76kg (Nahuel Gandolfi), 73.5kg (Adonis Sevillino), 61.5kg (Conan Adegawa), and absolute (Jared Almazan) divisions. They won bronze medals in the 61.5kg (John Ira Barrientos) and 85.5kg (Firoz Khan) divisions.
The performance by Team Lakay is a sign that they are still one of the top BJJ teams in Asia. They will be looking to continue their success in future international competitions.
