Judoka Chino Sy captures bronze in 2026 Florida Panamerican Open

MANILA – After a tough Asian Games debut, Filipino judoka Chino Sy bounced back with a podium finish at the 2026 Florida Panamerican Open.

Sy captured bronze in the men’s –100kg division of the tournament held in Gainesville, Florida in the United States of America.

The pride of Davao City kicked off his campaign with a dominant Round of 16 victory over Chile’s Guztavo Zepeda, scoring two waza-ari to advance.

Sy carried the momentum to the quarterfinals, where he beat American Alex Kulyk to book a spot in the semifinals.

In the semifinals, the Filipino judoka fell to top seed and eventual gold medalist Ivan Felipe Silva Morales of Cuba, sending him to the repechage for a shot at bronze.

Sy made the most of his second chance, defeating 2024 Montreal Panamerican Open gold medalist Nathanial Keeve of the United States to claim the bronze.

The 25-year-old took the lead after scoring a waza-ari in the 2:38 minute of the match, before keeping Keeve at bay until the end of the four minute period to seal the victory.

The podium finish is a welcome result and timely confidence boost for Sy, who bowed out in the Round of 16 at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya Japan last month.

Beyond adding valuable international experience, the result also earned Sy crucial world ranking points in his bid to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Silva Morales took home the gold, while Dominican Republic’s Robert Florentino settled for silver and Argentina’s Ivo Dargoltz also secured a bronze.

Sy will return to action at the 2026 Montreal Panamerican Open in Canada from November 7 to 8.