Yani Alexii Lopez Moved Up Three Weight Divisions and Still Took the Gold
Yani Alexii Lopez is 16. She usually competes at 44kg. At the 2026 United World Wrestling Asian and Oceania Grappling Championships in Da Nang, Vietnam, she competed at 57kg and won.
Lopez beat Malaysia’s Alison Mae Nicolson, 2-1, in the women’s 57kg final. In the semifinal she beat another Malaysian, Liyanne Hedger, 1-0. It is her second continental title.
Thirteen kilograms up
The gap between 44kg and 57kg is 13 kilograms. Manila Times and Tempo both describe her as having been forced to fight three divisions higher than usual. Lopez herself credits Alvin Aguilar, who heads the Wrestling Association of the Philippines, with giving her the courage to compete three weight classes above her own, and with coaching her through it.
“Jumping up 3 divisions from 44 kg to 57 kg was an unexpected challenge, and I am blessed to take the top spot on the podium,” Lopez said.
In a Facebook post she said she was thrilled to bring another continental gold medal home to the Philippines.
Who she trained with
Lopez named the people around her and what each one did. Maybelline Masuda coached her during the finals. Michael Sayson Tabamo gave guidance and mentorship. Bill Sullivan worked on her wrestling and refocused her before matches. Melchor Tumasis taught her wrestling classes. Emily Buyco managed Team Philippines through the three-day event in Danang.
She also thanked her training partners at the Philippine Sports Commission for the wrestling work, and the ones at Deftac HQ for the grappling, singling out the heavier partners she calls her gym big brothers.
Preparing for 57kg meant rolling with people who already walk around at that weight and above.
Four more golds
Charlie Ratcliff took gold at 56kg, Travis Ratcliff at 62kg, Abe Del Rosario at 57kg, and Denzel Alipio at 62kg.
Lucas Aguilar (66kg) and Nathaniel Nama (63kg) took silver. Alo Turingan (73kg), Lucian Salud (76kg), and Joaquin Marte (66kg) took bronze.
Five golds, two silvers, three bronzes. Team Philippines finished second overall, behind Kazakhstan, which topped the meet with 17 golds, 10 silvers, and five bronzes.
Where this sits
The Wrestling Association of the Philippines called the team’s showing in Da Nang a landmark one. Lopez leaves it with two continental golds at 16, the second of them in a division she had not fought in before.
