From Classroom to Combat: 17-Year-Old Judo Champ Reigns Again

Good evening and welcome to Sports Monday, brought to you by the National Sports Council, I’m Paul Lopez. Tonight, we shine the spotlight on an outstanding young talent making serious moves on the national stage. At just seventeen years old, Estella Quinteros of E.P. Yorke High School has already claimed her place as Belize’s National Female Judo Champion, breaking barriers and setting the pace in a sport dominated by men.

 

At first glance, Estella Quinteros appears to be your average high schooler. But once she swaps her school uniform for her judogi and ties on her green belt, Quinteros transforms completely.

 

Estella Quinteros, Judo National Champion

“Due to social media, we see we have the clean girl aesthetic and that is suppose to me your hair done, nail don, hair done. In this sport, you can’t have your nails done. You will end up having real damaged. You can’t have your lashes done, because they are going to be ripped off.”

 

At the Red Dragon Martial Arts Academy, Estella is preparing to defend her 2025 national title at the 2026 tournament.

 

Estella Quinteros

“It is mixed emotions. I have not been training how I am suppose to be training for a competition. Judo is a dynamic Japanese martial art and Olympic sport where athletes use leverage, balance, and their opponent’s own momentum against them to throw, pin, or submit them on the mat. You have to be aggressive, you to be aggressive. It is the championships. Training is over.”

 

On competition day, Chief Instructor Leon Guild prepares his athletes inside the Swift Hall.

 

Leon Guild, Chief Instructor, Red Dragon Marshall Arts Academy

“She is very competitive, Estella loves to compete, which is a rare trait in young females. She takes it very hard when she is not successful in her competitive endeavors.”

 

Originally set for three matches, Quinteros ended up competing in five after a three-way tie extended the bout lineup. And even after her victory in the final match, Quinteros consoled her opponent who was overwhelmed with emotions. Ultimately, she successfully defended her title and remains the National Female Judo Champion of Belize. Next, she prepares to walk across the stage, as she is set to graduate high school in the coming weeks.

 

Estella Quinteros

“I want to represent Belize and get some medals and give it back to Belize.”

 

And now for our weekly score highlight. In basketball, it’s down to the wire and this weekend’s tournament could translate into big shifts across the league. On Friday, the Defenders defeated the San Pedro Tiger Sharks seventy-seven to seventy-four points. The Orange Walk Running Rebels crushed the Corozal Spartans ninety-six to fifty-six points, and the Dangriga Dream Ballers dominated the Belmopan Trojans, eighty-eight to seventy-nine points.

 

In football, Verdes FC are your 2026 Premier League Champions. They defeated Progresso FC three goals to two on Saturday night and secured their third consecutive title.

 

The Belize Table Tennis Association held its second ranking tournament for 2026 and published the results in four categories, novice, female junior category, open junior category and the senior category.

 

 

And finally, for tonight, it’s settled, the Dream Ballers and the San Pedro Tiger Sharks will face off on Wednesday night during a rematch in Dangriga. League Commissioner, Leeroy Banner confirmed with News Five that a statement with the league’s letter head declaring that both teams will get zero points, did not originate from the league’s office. He credits it to mischief makers and says it has always been the league’s position that the disputed April twenty-fifth will be replayed. Well folks, that is all we have for you in tonight’s coverage of Sports Monday. Catch you on the next one.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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