Gracie Barra Bradford Champions at BJJ World Championships with 47 Medals

On the 13th and 14th of July, Gracie Barra Bradford competed in Wolverhampton at the annual Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World Championships. The team consisted of 4 girls and 23 boys, with ages ranging from our youngest competitor, Oathie Gray, aged 5, to our oldest competitor, aged 17. There was a real blend of experience within the team, from debutants at major tournaments to several multi-time world champions who have competed on different continents.

Over 1500 athletes competed, with participants from over 30 different countries, including the USA, Brazil, Iraq, Norway, Poland, Ukraine, and many more countries.

The team, led by Professor Craig Tetley and Coach Richard Quirke, went on to win 1st place overall, being crowned the number 1 team. They won a total of 26 Gold medals, 12 Silver medals, and 9 Bronze medals. The team also posted a record number of submission victories, utilizing the techniques they have honed during hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of hours of training.

There were some amazing performances across the two days. Day 1 was the traditional GI competition, and Day 2 was the NO GI competition.

The following athletes won gold on both days:

• 7 and 8-year-old white belts Yusuf Aqeel and Mikaeel Mohammed
• 11-year-old white belt Kiyan Nagy
• 7 and 11-year-old brothers, grey belts Umar Idris and Abubakar Idris
• 9-year-old grey belt Mohammed Taha and 9-year-old yellow belt Zac Toothill

Other standout performers were sisters Amelia and Olivia Roszkowska, aged 13 and 16, both winning gold in the grey and blue belt categories. Olivia also added an absolute Gold, which is available for teens who are prepared to fight at any weight.

Dominic Burgess, a 16-year-old blue belt, grabbed double Gold in the GI, like Olivia, obtaining the absolute weight category title too.

The following fighters also picked up a Gold Medal over the weekend:

In the white belt division:

• 9-year-old Kian Mullen

In the grey belt division:

• 9-year-old Pawel Dawidziuk
• 11-year-old Cade Smith
• 13-year-old Kayl Walker
• 14-year-old Harry Brook

In the orange belt division:

• 14-year-old Hayden Quirke

Following the successful weekend, a number of students have gone on to receive belt promotions and will now take on some new challenges in the coming months. For information on joining one of the most decorated combat sports teams in the world, please get in touch with Sam at info@graciebarrabradford.com