At A Glance
- Filipino-Japanese twins Keisei and Shugen Nakano proved they are a force to be reckoned with after pocketing separate gold medals in the 2024 Tahiti Oceania Open in French Polynesia Sunday, June 2.
Filipino-Japanese twins Keisei and Shugen Nakano proved they are a force to be reckoned with after pocketing separate gold medals in the 2024 Tahiti Oceania Open in French Polynesia Sunday, June 2.

The Nakanos topped their respective categories to give the Philippines its two gold medals in the two-day long tilt which gathered 53 competitors (28 men and 25 women) from 10 countries in four continents.
Keisei outlasted crowd favorites to conquer the men’s -73kgs crown in Manatoa Luciani, 2-0, via wazari in the semifinals and pulled off an ippon victory over Noa Gustin in the final round.
His twin brother, Shugen, a Southeast Asian Games multi-medalist, had two ippons over French Vincent Sorgiati and hometown bet Tamaterai Herver in the Round Robin B and Finals, respectively, to secure the men’s -66kg crown.
The two are still vying for a spot in the 2024 Paris Games but should barge inside the top 17. Shugen currently has 340 points for 116th place while Keisei has 390 points at 108th in the International Judo Federation (IJF) World Rankings.
Kiyomi Watanabe, the national team flag-bearer along pole vaulter EJ Obiena in 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is the lone Filipina judoka who has the highest hopes of qualifying with a total of 373 points for 91st place in the IJF women’s 63kg global list.
With the points she has piled up, the 27-year-old pride of Mandaue, Cebu could earn a spot based on the Asian quota rankings where she is at eighth spot, enough for her return in the quadrennial meet.