Who would have imagined a No. 1 Paralympic judo athlete was hidden as a consultant supporting product accessibility testing for Comcast’s accessibility team?
Maria Liana Mutia has time management skills to die for.
She’s a two-time Pan American champion, a two-time world medalist, a Tokyo 2020 Paralympian and a full-time Paralympian on Team USA — plus she’s balancing a consulting gig at Comcast.
Now, she’s training for the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games.
“I came back literally from a tournament and one of my friends had to go look up the things and tell me I was number one in the world,” Mutia, 25, said. “I was like, ‘Cool, all right time to walk into a [work] meeting with this new knowledge.’”
Born in the Philippines, Mutia came to the United States at two years old and moved around throughout her youth until her family eventually settled in Raleigh, North Carolina, when Mutia started high school.
There, the future No. 1 athlete discovered judo at 14 years old.
She initially pursued judo for health reasons, but by the time she turned 17, Mutia began taking the martial art seriously. Around the same time, she went from being visually impaired to completely losing her vision.
She had to relearn not only how to be a functional human being, but also how to compete in judo. She redeveloped her fighting ability and latched onto her other senses, like touch.
“You’re trying to push and pull people in certain ways and turn them and so that’s really how touch can come in,” said Lori Latimer, Mutia’s judo training partner. “Because Liana can’t see, but she can feel what you’re doing.”
Within the next year, Mutia’s life quickly picked up the pace.
While balancing full-time student life at Colorado State University and holding down an unpaid internship, she found out she could compete in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympic Games.
Of course, she immediately implemented a daily hardcore training routine.
“Things were a bit hectic,” Mutia said. “All my days start and end at the same time they did before. Now, I get paid so that’s a big difference. My days would start at 6 a.m. and end at 9 p.m.”
Mutia was one of four Americans in the event, and although she won gold in the qualifier, she didn’t medal in the Paralympics.
Despite her restless schedule, Mutia’s education and career never took a back seat. She graduated with a project management major and minors in information technology and web development then moved to Philadelphia to work as a consultant to support product accessibility testing in the Experience Design Department at Comcast.
Here, she found her current judo community at El Idrissi Judo Academy, where she is preparing for another Paralympian summer.
With around 12-hour days and 80 hours a week split between Comcast and El Idrissi, Mutia needs to keep her body and mind conditioned for work and judo, which involves strategically planning her days.
“It’s a lot of time management, lots of meticulous planning and organization,” Mutia said. “I wake up at 6, and I’ll do conditioning or physical therapy before work, I’ll go to work, which is just a regular 9 to 5 software analyst, and then after work, my judo is from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.”
El Idrissi introduced Mutia to Latimer, a 42-year-old licensed clinical social worker. They’ve been training together since Mutia joined in 2022. Over that time, they’ve developed a strong bond built on trust, a necessity between judo partners.
“We really make sure that we talk to each other, and I think we’re at a point now where we can kind of read each other’s moves,” Latimer said. “She can’t look at my face, but she’ll just know when I’m having an off day, and sometimes I’m trying to be a tough girl, but she’ll be like, ‘Are you okay? Are you sure you’re okay?’ Then, I have to admit that I’m not okay, and then we have to make some adjustments.”
Mutia also unleashes her “silly” side with Latimer. Whether they’re letting out cat meows in the melody of a popular song or belting out a Disney tune, the pair always keeps spirits high in the dojo.
While judo is a violent sport, it’s also a time to run and roll around on a mat with no shoes on, which tends to bring out the goofiness, Latimer said.
“Liana, just out of nowhere, she’ll come in with trays of butter mochi that she made and other little treats that she’ll just bring in,” Latimer said. “Just as much as she likes fighting, she likes skipping around and being goofy and she’s got some really killer jokes, like she’s hilarious. She’s a super funny person.”
Her positive energy isn’t rare; El Idrissi fosters a community overflowing with support for each other. Owners Alaa and Kristin El Idrissi motivate each of their students, taking time to individualize their training.
Having a supportive team is a core aspect of developing successful judo athletes.
“[Alaa] has his expectations; he wants you to work hard, he wants you to hold yourself accountable, but then he’s still also a lovable goofball,” Latimer said. “It’s a very good balance and it’s been so good for my life, and his wife Kristen, she’s the same type of person.”
When the Paris games begin in late August, everyone in the dojo will be maneuvering their lives around the six hour time difference to watch Mutia compete live. Until then, Latimer will continue her usual training with Mutia, increasing intensity as the games get closer but always keeping it fun.
Mutia plans to continue competing and win gold medals in Paris — and then again in the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Paralympics — before retiring from full-time judo to focus solely on her other full-time job, hopefully gaining credentials as a software consultant.
Ironically, Mutia once doubted herself. She went from believing she couldn’t pursue her passions for coding and tech due to her visual impairment to balancing two full-time careers in which she has been highly successful.
She says it’s taken hard work and a good strategy to make it all happen.
“At the end of the day, I’m just a strategist,” Mutia said. “Nothing more, nothing less.”
