Gina María Ruiz.
EL NUEVO DIARIO, SANTO DOMINGO.- The martial arts athletes, of national and international fame, Gina María Ruiz, Nasiris Pérez and Elías Camaño, in taekwon-do, while Alex Fernández, in jiu-jitsu, were chosen to be inducted next December 1st at the Martial Arts Hall of Fame.
The ceremony will take place in the Auditorium of the Dominican Sports Pavilion of Fame, at the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center, starting at 9:30 in the morning.
The president of the Permanent Committee of the Martial Arts Hall of Fame of the Dominican Republic (SAFAMRD), the athlete Norberto Puello and the general secretary, Ángel Ramos Brusiloff, affirmed that the organizational work of the ceremony is going “from strength to strength” and predicted which will be a complete success.
They highlighted that in the 2024 induction, the honorary president will be Mr. Carlino González, a great promoter of martial arts for several decades, with important achievements at the national and international level. The ceremony will have a special dedication to the immortal of sport Julio Mon Nadal.
The recognitions
Likewise, they announced that three major recognitions will take place during the event:
- In kung-fu, Guillermo Miniño and Rhino Richiez.
- In judo, to Emilio Jiménez.
- In jiu-jitsu, to Leo Marión.
- In taekwon-do, at the Hato Mayor School.
Taekwon-do athlete Gina María Ruiz achieved stardom by winning the gold medal at the 2003 Santo Domingo Pan American Games, defeating a competitor from El Salvador in the Combat Pavilion of the Olympic Center. His victory was one of the first surprises of the event and caused great euphoria in the Dominican delegation. Ruiz had an outstanding performance since she was a child in taekwon-do, encouraged by her father, who predicted that she would be a great champion. He represented the Dominican Republic in several events of the Olympic cycle, achieving gold, silver and bronze medals, in addition to participating in world championships and international tournaments.
For his part, Elías Camaño is part of the first promotion of national referees in the country since 1990. In 1991, in New York City, he obtained his certification as an international referee, being the first Dominican to achieve this. He has worked at events in Aruba, Puerto Rico, Orlando, Miami and Costa Rica, where he was recognized as the best international referee in the tournament. He also received a Letter of Commendation from the World Taekwon-do Federation (WTF) for his contribution to the development of this sport in the Dominican Republic.
Nasiris Pérez Gerónimo began his sports career in 1983 with his participation in the National Children’s Tournament. Beginning in 1984, he accumulated multiple first places in national championships, including the Batalla del Sur Championship and the Battle of the Dragons. During the years 1994 to 1999, he dominated the National Superior Championship and the National Games, establishing himself as one of the greatest exponents of Dominican taekwon-do.
Finally, Alex Fernández has an outstanding career in martial arts. In October 2022, he was appointed National Director of Miyama Style Ryu Jujutsu by Dai Shihan William Duke. That same year he received recognition from SAFAMRD for his contributions to martial arts. In June 2023, he traveled to Boston with Dai Shihan Duke and Shihan Julio Cordero to attend high-ranking exams and participate in activities of the International Miyama Ryu Jujutsu Committee. Currently, Fernández shares style direction and advanced tape instruction duties, with more than 25 years of teaching experience at the Bella Vista Dojo.
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