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Annie Ramirez

Filipino grappler Annie Ramirez won Asian Games gold and built a teaching program for deaf children in Pasay.

Biography

Annie Ramirez is a Filipino grappler who won Asian Games gold in Hangzhou. Her work on the mat has also included introducing Brazilian jiu-jitsu to deaf children in Pasay, where a nearby school and a pupil’s help made a teaching program possible. Born in 1990, Ramirez began her sporting life in the water. Her father taught her to swim, and by five she was racing in Naga City. School competition later took her to regional events. After moving to Muntinlupa, she learned judo with John Baylon and joined the University of Santo Tomas team, becoming a two-time Most Valuable Player in UAAP university judo. She also graduated in physical education. Her move from judo to jiu-jitsu required time: she later estimated that adjusting had taken about two years. The 2014 Asian Beach Games became her national-team debut at a multisport event, a milestone she would remember among her most important wins. She won Beach Games gold in both 2014 and 2016. In 2017 she added an Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games title at under 55 kilograms. The available weight classes could change the task facing her. At the 2018 Asian Games, Ramirez entered the under-62-kilogram category and lost her opening match to Korea’s Kira Sung, 21–0. She said the heavier division made it harder for her to move. The result was a sharp departure from her success at the lighter weight, and her later account showed that its effects lasted beyond the competition. Looking back after Hangzhou, Ramirez described the pressure she had placed on herself after the 2018 defeat. She recalled crying during training and questioning her ability. She sought a sports psychologist’s help and stepped away from tournaments while continuing to train. In her telling, the eventual return of confidence was tied to what she achieved at the 2019 Abu Dhabi World Pro. That title came at purple belt, in the women’s under-55-kilogram division. Ramirez and Sophia Dalpra finished the final level at 4–4; the referee’s decision gave Ramirez her first World Pro gold after four attempts. The teaching program had begun that January. She called it BJJ for the Deaf Youth PH. Training at a Pasay gym near the Philippine School for the Deaf, Ramirez proposed classes for its pupils. One of her own jiu-jitsu students taught at the school and helped gather a group. By October, around 15 attended regularly, and seven entered Arte Suave, their third competition that year. Ramirez presented the classes as exercise and safe self-defense. She also described seeing her pupils become more confident. Working alongside Adrian Villanueva, a teacher at a school for deaf pupils, she wanted the program to teach martial-arts values as well as practical skills. Ramirez hoped her Abu Dhabi victory would encourage the children she taught to compete there themselves one day. Coaching brought demands distinct from those of her own competition. She told GMA that an athlete needed to concentrate on personal performance, while a coach had to give attention to pupils. Balancing the two was difficult. Later in 2019 she won SEA Games gold in the Philippines, another result she remembered for the opportunity to compete successfully at home. When she returned for the Vietnam edition held in 2022, her former under-55-kilogram class was absent. Competing at under 62 kilograms, she deliberately limited her weight gain because she wanted to retain her movement. She won a second consecutive SEA Games gold. Her competition also extended to the ADCC Philippine International Open in Makati in September 2022, where she placed first in the women’s intermediate under-60-kilogram and intermediate absolute divisions. The latter was an open-weight category. At Hangzhou on October 6, 2023, she won the women’s under-57-kilogram ju-jitsu final against Kazakhstan’s Galina Duvanova, 2–0. By then her SEA Games record included three gold medals. The Asian Games victory came at the delayed 2022 edition, held the following year. In Bangkok in 2025 she won two JJIF World Championship titles at under 57 kilograms, one in ne-waza, the ground-fighting discipline, and one in no-gi competition, fought without the traditional uniform. A SEA Games semifinal loss to Malaysia’s Joelle Wong Ai later that year was harder to leave behind. Ramirez credited Baylon’s support with helping her move forward, yet memories of the defeat still troubled her before Sanya in 2026. She described competing more calmly, assessing positions and resisting the urge to hurry. Her training priorities were changing too. Speaking to Rappler, she emphasized purposeful practice and showing up consistently, while explaining that getting older had made rest a more deliberate part of her preparation. On April 24, 2026, she beat fellow Filipino Emily Thomas in the under-57-kilogram final at the Asian Beach Games in Sanya. In July she won the same weight class at the Asian Championships in Almaty, defeating Mongolia’s Shurentsetseg Enkhmunkh in the final. The following month brought another JJIF world title in Abu Dhabi, this time in under-57-kilogram ne-waza. For Aichi-Nagoya, the Philippine team selected Ramirez at under 52 kilograms, below her Hangzhou class. In September’s team preview, retired teammate Meggie Ochoa pointed to the experience Ramirez and Kim Custodio brought to the competition. On October 2, 2026, Ramirez’s campaign ended in the round of 16, where she lost on advantages to Thailand’s Nuchanat Singchalad.

Sources for this profile

  • PIA, Keren Anne Bernadas, 15 November 2023.(opens in a new tab)

    • Her father taught her swimming; she raced at five in Naga City and later reached regional school competition. After moving to Muntinlupa she learned judo with John Baylon, joined the University of Santo Tomas team and became a two-time UAAP judo MVP.

      Where in the source: Background section.

      Accessed:

  • Hangzhou 2022, athlete record.(opens in a new tab)

    • The Hangzhou athlete record gives her birth date as 25 November 1990.

      Where in the source: Athlete details.

      Accessed:

    • The Hangzhou record identifies Ramirez as representing the Philippines.

      Where in the source: Athlete header.

      Accessed:

    • On 6 October 2023 she won Hangzhou’s women’s -57kg ju-jitsu final, defeating Galina Duvanova 2–0.

      Where in the source: Medal row and final contest.

      Accessed:

  • GMA News, Rey Joble interview, 16 May 2022.(opens in a new tab)

    • Ramirez described Baylon as her longstanding mentor. As a competing club coach, she found it difficult to balance focusing on her own performance with giving herself to pupils.

      Where in the source: Mentor and final answers.

      Accessed:

    • For the Vietnam SEA Games held in 2022 she moved from -55kg to -62kg because her former category was absent. She avoided excessive weight gain to preserve movement and won her second consecutive SEA gold after 2019.

      Where in the source: Weight-change answers.

      Accessed:

  • Tiebreaker Times, 25 August 2018.(opens in a new tab)

    • A physical-education graduate of Santo Tomas, Ramirez lost to Korea’s Kira Sung in her first -62kg match at the 2018 Asian Games, 0–21. She said the heavier category hampered her movement. Her 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games title had been at -55kg.

      Where in the source: Main report, Ramirez section.

      Accessed:

  • One Sports, post-final interview report, 6 October 2023.(opens in a new tab)

    • After the 2018 Asian Games she recalled anxiety, self-imposed pressure and crying at training. She consulted a sports psychologist and paused competition while continuing to train; she credited her 2019 World Pro success with restoring confidence.

      Where in the source: Post-final account of recovery.

      Accessed:

  • The National, Amith Passela, 25 April 2019.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2019 Abu Dhabi World Pro she earned her first gold there after four attempts, winning the women’s purple-belt -55kg final over Sophia Dalpra on the referee’s verdict after a 4–4 tie.

      Where in the source: Final report and her recollection.

      Accessed:

    • She said adapting from judo to jiu-jitsu had taken about two years. Already an Asian Beach Games winner in 2014 and 2016, she hoped her Abu Dhabi success would encourage the deaf children she taught to compete there someday.

      Where in the source: Transition and teaching answers.

      Accessed:

  • Philstar, Luisa Morales interview, 19 October 2019.(opens in a new tab)

    • In January 2019 she started BJJ for the Deaf Youth PH near her Pasay gym, helped by a pupil who taught at the Philippine School for the Deaf. About 15 attended regularly; seven entered that October’s Arte Suave, the group’s third competition. She described greater confidence and emphasized safe self-defence and exercise.

      Where in the source: Programme origins through student competitions.

      Accessed:

  • Philstar, programme feature, 1 April 2020.(opens in a new tab)

    • The programme’s collaborator was Adrian Villanueva, a teacher at a school for deaf pupils; Ramirez wanted its martial-arts teaching to include values as well as skills.

      Where in the source: Public feature introduction.

      Accessed:

  • Rappler, Delfin Dioquino interview, 2 May 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • In 2026 she credited consistent attendance, deliberate practice and a stronger mental approach. She said aging had led her to train hard with more attention to rest and to what her body needed.

      Where in the source: Training routine answers.

      Accessed:

    • After her 2025 SEA Games semifinal defeat by Malaysia’s Joelle Wong Ai, she said Baylon’s support helped her move forward. Remembering that loss still disturbed her before Sanya; she described returning calmer, analyzing situations and avoiding haste.

      Where in the source: Defeat, mentor support and return sections.

      Accessed:

  • The GAME, RJ Ballecer interview, 17 August 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • She won the women’s -57kg ne-waza and no-gi titles at the 2025 JJIF World Championship in Bangkok, then added the -57kg ne-waza title in Abu Dhabi in August 2026.

      Where in the source: World-championship section.

      Accessed:

    • She singled out two milestones: her national-team multisport debut at the 2014 Asian Beach Games and a SEA Games title won in the Philippines in 2019.

      Where in the source: First Beach Games and home SEA Games sections.

      Accessed:

  • GMA News, Asian Beach Games report, 24 April 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • On 24 April 2026 in Sanya she won Asian Beach Games gold in women’s -57kg, defeating fellow Filipino Emily Thomas in the final.

      Where in the source: Opening report and final.

      Accessed:

  • Philstar, Joey Villar, 21 July 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • She won the women’s -57kg final against Mongolia’s Shurentsetseg Enkhmunkh at the 2026 Asian Championships in Almaty.

      Where in the source: Opening completed-event paragraphs.

      Accessed:

  • Philstar, Joaquin Henson, 7 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • For Aichi-Nagoya 2026, the Philippine team selected Ramirez at -52kg, below her Hangzhou -57kg class. Retired teammate Meggie Ochoa praised Ramirez and Kim Custodio as experienced competitors.

      Where in the source: Lineup and Ochoa comments.

      Accessed:

  • The GAME, Aichi-Nagoya results guide, October 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • On 2 October 2026 she lost by advantages to Thailand’s Nuchanat Singchalad in the women’s -52kg round of 16 at Aichi-Nagoya.

      Where in the source: October 2 results, ju-jitsu entry.

      Accessed:

  • ADCC, Philippine International Open official results, 2022.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the ADCC Philippine International Open on 25 September 2022 in Makati, its official lists place Ramirez of Club de Jiu Jitsu Filipinas first in women’s intermediate -60kg and intermediate absolute.

      Where in the source: Complete female intermediate result blocks.

      Accessed:

  • Rappler, Delfin Dioquino, 6 October 2023.(opens in a new tab)

    • By her Hangzhou victory in October 2023 she had already won three SEA Games gold medals.

      Where in the source: Historical SEA Games context.

      Accessed:

Lineage

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Open lineage