Singapore 's swimming sensation Jeocelin Yeo may own the most number of gold medals won –40 in all from 1993 to 2005 – in the Southeast Asian Games, but it's Negros Occidental-born John Baylon, a judo specialist, who is obviously the most enduring gold medal winner in the biennial sports conclave.

John owns a record that no other Filipino nor other Southeast Asian Games athlete has made: he has won the gold in his event in eight successive SEAG participation since his first stint in Manila in 1991. It would have been a record of nine wins in all if the 1999 staging in Brunei included judo in its competition calendar.

His eight SEAG gold medals have surpassed the six triumphs of taekwondo Jin Roberto ‘Kitoy' Cruz, a Sydney Olympian, John says.

‘It's always an honor to represent the country and win in international competitions, like the SEA Games,” the Manila-based says in a STARLIFE phone interview.

That feeling of pride soared even higher when the Binalbagan native carried the Philippine colors at the opening of the 2007 SEAG in Thailand . “My heart swelled with the greatest pride and my emotions were high as I marched carrying our flag,” said John, adding, “it was truly an honor being chosen from among hundreds of Filipino athletes.”

The golden guy of Philippine sports learned his martial arts rudiments when he was 20 years old at the famous Kodokan Institute of Judo in Tokyo , Japan , where he worked in a bowling lane. He said he has embraced the discipline and the rigorous training since then that has become his secret in his enduring golden journey. Among his other recent conquests was a bronze medal in the World Masters competition held in Tokyo .

Now 43 years old and holding the Airman First Class rank in the Philippine Air Force, he is not speaking of judo retirement. Not yet. In fact, he is looking forward to participate in the Beijing Olympics Qualifying for Asia early this year that he hopes the Philippine Sports Commission will help him so that he can train in Tokyo . The qualifying is scheduled in Korea in May.

He had earlier set his eyes in the Seoul and Barcelona Olympics but competition in the Asian zonals have been so stiff, he admits, especially with the presence of Central Asians, like Uzbekistan and Tajikistan , that it has been difficult to earn a slot for the quadrennial Summer Games.

The judoka is also looking forward to helping a friend open a judo-jujitsu gym in Makati where he can share his judo expertise to future winners and other physical fitness and martial arts buffs.

While John was born in Binalbagan, the hometown of his mother, the former Irene Diasnes, most of his young life was spent in Mindanao , where his family moved when he was a little boy – in Sultan Kudarat and later in Zamboanga, where he met a Japanese national, Koji Sato, who eventually became his judo training benefactor. That explains why I have been donning the Zamboanga jersey in national competitions, he says.

For his sports accomplishments, John was honored in absentia as an outstanding Negrense athlete by SCOOP-Bacolod recently. “I'm thankful for the award. It's always nice to look back, recollecting the memories of boyhood in my Negros hometown,” revealed John, whose last visit to his home province was 15 years ago.

Asked on his successful judo formula, John points out that despite his success, he always conducts self-assessment and is always on the lookout for improved and new techniques. Opponents and their coaches are always observing when you compete and if you keep on adopting the same technique, they'll beat you the next time around, he explained, that's why I keep on training and studying so I can employ other strategies which I need to pull a win over my rivals.

Diet consciousness is another area of his daily life where he exercises self-discipline, “otherwise I'll put on needless weight due to over carbo-loading,” he says,

Mind-set and focus, too, are important for a player. He must be serious in his training, he points out, and once he steps into the mat, he must be all-out against his opponent, as he recalls that, in his case, “it's always doing my best to win, otherwise I lose.” Others have been remiss in their discipline and focus that they lose steam along the way, he adds. When I play, I don't think I'm the champion, I always think I'm the challenger, thus I drive myself to my limits to beat the other player,” he further says.

And reiterating that he has not given up on competitive judo, John let out a big laugh when asked if the Thailand stint was his last SEA Games. “I'm not old yet to retire from the SEA Games; for as long as I can, I'd still be happy to represent the country,” he says as he stresses: “We hope that we, Filipino athletes, will continue to get national and local support.”