Roused by idol Ronda Rousey, Assumption English School student claims B Div girls’ judo crown

SINGAPORE – As a Primary 4 pupil, Jullie Anne de la Cruz Tupaz’s heroine was American professional wrestler Ronda Rousey.

Inspired by the former judoka and mixed martial art exponent, Jullie Anne picked up judo as a co-curricular activity when she joined Assumption English School (AES) in 2022.

At the 2023 National School Games (NSG), the 15-year-old returned empty-handed after losing both of her bouts in the C Division girls’ Under-48kg category.

But channelling the fighting spirit of Rousey on May 17, Jullie Anne rose to the occasion to claim the B Division girls’ U-45kg title at the OCBC Arena.

She defeated schoolmate Keira Tatyanna Hadiradewi in the three-minute final with a match-ending throw that earned her an ippon, the highest possible score in judo, with 50 seconds left on the clock.

The Secondary 3 student said: “I still cannot believe it. I’m so happy. I was a bit too complacent last year. I thought it would be easy to get a medal.

“I cried my heart out and just suddenly like woke up and I finally wanted to start working harder this year. I tried to exercise as much as possible after school and asked for more tips from seniors who did well.”

Besides Jullie Anne, AES Sec 3 student Jae Len clinched the B Division boys’ U-66kg title after overpowering Raffles Institution’s Yeoh Hsian Kai with an ippon throw 1min 45sec into sudden-death overtime or golden score.

Jae, who won bronze in the same C Division event last season, said: “I definitely worked a lot harder than last year. I was very confident and just getting bronze last year did not feel as good.”

The duo helped AES to second and third overall in the B girls and boys’ categories, behind eventual champions Nanyang Girls’ High School and Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) respectively. HCI also swept both A Division categories, combining with Nanyang to claim 13 of the 18 titles on offer.

It was double joy for HCI brothers Teo Chee Hern and Teo Chee Le, who clinched titles in the A Division boys’ U-81kg and B Division boys’ U-73kg categories.

Chee Hern, the A Division boys’ captain, said: “I am very glad. My team put in a lot of effort this week.

“Training with my brother is a very interesting thing. Being in the same sport has helped us bond a lot more and given us a common topic to talk about.”

The younger Chee Le was inspired by Chee Hern, 18, who picked up the sport in Sec 1.

Chee Le, 16, said: “I saw how much he enjoyed it and how much he changed. He managed to lose a lot of weight and became one of the strongest in Hwa Chong.”

Then a Primary 5 pupil, Chee Le went to SA Judo Academy and got into HCI via Direct School Admission. But disaster struck one day before the 2023 NSG, as he tore an anterior cruciate ligament during training.

He underwent an operation and was sidelined until November, when he resumed light training. During this period, he spent six days a week doing weight training and gained 7kg to move up a weight class.

In December, Chee Le travelled to Tokyo to train at Kodokan Dojo, which he credited as instrumental in his recovery.

“The whole year, I’ve been training for this one competition. It’s really encouraging for me to win this as it will be a good stepping stone for me to fight and win bigger competitions,” he added.

Veteran HCI coach Tang Soon Onn, who owns SA Judo Academy, added: “I think it was due to the fight and determination that (Chee Le) was able to recover so quickly.

“Both of them have the same character and desire to achieve something which is very good for sports.”