How Annie Ramirez stays on top of the jiu-jitsu game

MANILA, Philippines – Annie Ramirez’s Asian Beach Games feats alone reflect her sustained dominance.

The Filipina jiu-jitsu star captured her first two gold medals from the continental showdown in the 2014 Phuket, Thailand, and 2016 Danang, Vietnam editions, then won her third one a full decade later in the Asian Beach Games’ return in 2026 in Sanya, China. 

As a woman in her mid-30s, Ramirez admits a lot has changed, particularly in her body, but her consistent work behind the scenes has kept her on top of her game. 

“It’s my consistency in training,” Ramirez told Rappler when asked about how she stays in top form. “Even if you don’t feel good, you still train and show up on the mats. You’re not just training your physical ability but also your mental.”

“The mental game, for me, is the biggest thing.”

Now 35 years old, Ramirez has maintained her strong work ethic, making it a point never to be late for training sessions with her club or the national team.

“I’m not getting any younger, so I’ve learned to train smart. I still train hard, but in a smarter way. You need to listen to your body if it needs rest. Before, I [could] go hard for the week, but now, I allocate time for rest,” she said.

“Your training has to be meaningful.”

Reality of sports

Ramirez reached the pinnacle of the sport when she finally became a world champion, winning not just one but two gold medals in the Jiu-Jitsu International Federation World Championships in Thailand last November as she ruled the gi and no-gi divisions of the women’s -57kg class.

Those two world titles now serve as the crown jewel of Ramirez’s prized collection that includes gold medals from the Asian Games, Asian Indoor and Martian Arts Games, and Southeast Asian Games. 

But it did not take long for Ramirez to see herself sent crashing back to earth.

Eyeing a fourth straight gold medal in the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand in December, Ramirez suffered what she considers one of the toughest losses of her career as she choked out against Malaysia’s Joelle Wong Ai in the semifinals.

It marked the first time in Ramirez’s career that she was put to sleep as Wong Ai completed a cross collar choke from the back.

As rules state that those who are choked unconscious are no longer allowed to compete in the next round, Ramirez was denied a crack at the bronze and went home empty-handed.

For Ramirez, that loss encapsulated the reality of sports. 

“Even Superman has a kryptonite. And that’s already Superman. I’m not from another planet,” quipped Ramirez. “We try our best to deliver good results, but we don’t have control over everything. That’s the bottom line of being an athlete.”

“When you’re competing, you’re bound to make mistakes. My opponent took advantage of them. She saw the opportunity, and she didn’t let go of it.”

Ripe for redemption

As disheartening as the defeat was, it helped Ramirez that she had a supportive coach in Filipino martial arts icon John Baylon, who helped her move on. 

Baylon, 60, won an unprecedented nine consecutive SEA Games gold medals and saw action in two Olympic Games as a judo athlete before he switched to jiu-jitsu. 

“Coach John provided a lot of words of wisdom. He experienced everything I’m going through now,” said Ramirez. 

“I tell myself that I can do it because there’s someone who truly believes in me.”

Still, there were days when doubts crept in in the lead-up to the Asian Beach Games in April. 

“Before we left, there was a night when I couldn’t sleep because I remembered what happened in the SEA Games. It suddenly came to my mind. You can’t avoid being traumatized by tough losses,” said Ramirez. 

Ramirez, though, trusted her hard work as she redeemed herself from that SEA Games heartbreak. 

She started her Asian Beach Games campaign with a submission of China’s Zhang Mengqi in the round of 16, submitted Pakistan’s Ambreen Tariq in the quarterfinals, beat Mongolia’s Shurentsetseg Enkhmunkh by points in the semifinals, then edged Emily Thomas by advantage in an all-Filipina final.

“I used my experience in the SEA Games as fuel. I was calmer,” said Ramirez. “I was able to analyze the situations. I didn’t rush.”

“You know in yourself that you gave everything during the preparation. I think that’s been my edge.”

Ramirez is not stopping anytime soon.