T45 Jiujitsu Triumphs at Junior World Championships: Medals & Memories in the UK

Early Start and High Hopes: T45 Jiujitsu Team’s Journey to the World Championships

Last weekend saw T45 Jiujitsu travel to the UK with a team of 8 of their juvenile students, all with eyes on becoming an Elite BJJ Junior World Champion. This trip was the culmination of months of focused preparation and hard work in the academy. Further demonstrating the dedication of these young athletes (and their parents and guardians!), their journey started at 1am Friday morning as they made the journey to Dublin Airport to catch an early flight – all to ensure they arrived with enough time to attend one last training session in Birmingham on Friday afternoon, kindly organised by one of their sponsors ‘Sub Only Events’ and facilitated by Gracie Barra Birmingham.

Despite the early hour, the excitement was palpable as they approached Departures, looking like they meant business in their matching Competition Team tracksuits by Level Up Fightwear. For some of these young competitors, it was their first time ever experiencing flying, and the novelty of navigating the hustle and bustle of a July Dublin Airport only added to the excitement of the trip! Fast forward a couple of hours and after a long day of travelling and training, heads were ready for pillows and minds were on Day 1 of the Elite BJJ Junior Championships.

Day 1 Highlights: T45 Jiujitsu Athletes Make Their Mark in Gi Competitions

Day 1 of the competition saw a focus on the Gi (wearing the kimono) matches, with the team proudly donning their Sub Only Events Team Ireland Gis along with their game faces. The atmosphere in the venue was electric as they walked in. With 8 mats active, supporters roaring encouragement, the echo of announcements and the bubble of chatter from hundreds of participants and their families, the excitement washed over anyone walking into the main hall. First up on the mats was Alex Buckley who was quickly followed by Marcin Ozstap, Gabriel Ezukis, Abi Foley, Rokas Dedela, Cian Williamson, and Jake Graham. Each student performed incredibly well, especially given the extremely high standard present at the event. Day 1 saw T45 Jiujitsu’s first World Champion emerge as Abi dominated her division, Teen 2 (14 & 15), winning both her matches by submission – even finishing her gold place match in an incredibly impressive 19 seconds! Despite some great displays of jiu-jitsu, Alex, Marcin and Gabriel unfortunately lost their semi-final matches, all competing in Teen 2 (14 & 15) under differing weight categories, leaving them to take bronze in their divisions. Rokas, Teen 2 (14 & 15) just missed out on a semi-final spot after an exciting display, finishing his match on equal points as his opponent and losing by an advantage. Cian Williamson had a fantastic showing in the Junior 2 (10 & 11) division, winning his quarter-final by submission in 1.30 minutes before unfortunately losing to a strong opponent in the semi-finals and taking the bronze medal. Jake took on the busiest division of the team, Junior 2 (10 & 11), with 21 participants! He performed incredibly well, showcasing some textbook jiu-jitsu, despite missing out on a podium spot this time around

NoGi Day 2 Brings More Medals: T45 Jiujitsu Excels in Submission Grappling

Day 2 saw the T45 Jiujitsu team take to the mats for NoGi (submission grappling without kimono) in their Sub Only Events Team Ireland gear. This saw Alex Buckley and Gabriel Ezukis in the same division, and after an incredible battle between teammates, Gabriel advanced forward, eventually resulting in Alex taking bronze and Gabriel taking silver. Abi took silver in her division after a tough match. Rokas was next up and after an energetic final, managed to secure the gold by submission, making him the academy’s second ever World Champion! Marcin had a great match in his NoGi, eventually losing by points in his quarter-final. Jake, Max and Cian came up against tough opponents on Day 2, and despite not winning their matches, left the mats proud of themselves and with the achievement of competing at the World Championships! To round off the weekend of competition, some of our athletes were eligible to compete in the absolute divisions, having medalled in their own. As the absolutes consist only of those who have also medalled in your age and belt category, the standard is sky high. Alex and Abi both took bronze after explosive matches.

Following the last of the Team's matches for the weekend, there was just one more item on the agenda. After and incredible weekend of competition, jiu-jitsu, teamwork and sportsmanship, Abi was promoted to her next belt and was awarded her Yellow/White belt by her coaches, surrounded by her cheering teammates and family! Wrapping up an incredible weekend on another high note and making it one for the academy history books. The coaches, Ciaran and Laura, competitors and parents and guardians would also like to extend their sincerest thanks to all their corporate and individual sponsors who helped make it a reality for these incredible juveniles to take part in this event and enjoy this experience. Without the amazing support received from the community of East Cork, this trip, as well as the fantastic results, wouldn’t have been possible! Corcaigh Abú!

Sponsors:

Midleton Credit Union; Skidmore Physio; Cuddy, O’Leary and Rigney Chartered Accountants; Level Up Fightwear; Pipelife Ireland; O’Brien’s Mazda Garage; Motorview; Jim Scannell Motor Factors; T&M Partitions & Ceilings; Ina McCarthy for Flowers; GE Healthcare; CF Lennox’s, Midleton; Sub Only Events