Davao judoka Chino Sy wins second straight bronze in Olympic qualifying push

Davao City judoka Chino Sy has added another bronze medal to his campaign for a place at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, finishing third in the men's -100-kilogram division at the 2026 Montreal Panamerican Open in Canada over the weekend, according to SunStar Davao.

The result came a week after Sy, 25, won bronze at the Florida Panamerican Open. Both finishes earn him International Judo Federation (IJF) world ranking points, which count toward Olympic qualification.

In Montreal, Sy fought three matches, his father Paolo Tancontian told the outlet. He dropped to the repechage after a loss to American Nathanial Keeve, the same opponent he had beaten for bronze in Florida. Sy then secured the podium with an ippon win over 19-year-old American Caedmon Haddad, a bronze medalist at last year's US national championships, in the bronze-medal match at the Charbonneau Community Centre.

Sy said facing the same opponents in tournaments only a week apart taught him a lot, since rivals still remembered their recent bouts and could quickly adjust their tactics. In a Facebook post, he admitted he had wanted more. "I was really hoping to bring home the gold medal today and sing our national anthem here in Montreal, but I came up short," he wrote, adding that the experience showed him which strengths to build on and which weaknesses to address.

Sy, who won gold in the same weight class at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand in 2025, said Montreal may be his last competition for now, though he is still considering the Hong Kong Open.

He told SunStar Davao he will return to training immediately rather than rest, with a training camp scheduled at the end of the year. For next year, he plans to join as many Grand Prix, Grand Slam and Open events as he can to strengthen his bid for the Philippine team in Los Angeles.