Judoka Rena Furuka defends gold vs Burmese rival at 32nd SEA Games

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 14) – Judoka Rena Furukawa took down Myanmar’s Chu Myat Noe Wai anew on Sunday to bag another gold medal for the Philippines at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The 25-year-old Furukawa successfully defended her crown in the -57 kilogram weight class after beating Noe Wai for a second time.

The two earlier butted heads in the same weight class at the 2021 SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam where Furukawa came out on top.

In the 2019 Games in Manila, she settled for bronze in the same weight class. In that year, Noe Wai also took home bronze, but in the 63 kg division.

Furukawa’s win marked the country’s 39th gold medal at the biennial Games.