Yesterday the Crow BJJ team went to their first tournament. With two blue belts and three white belts, five of our athletes competed in the Gi (traditional uniform) and No-Gi event in Liverpool.
In the No-Gi event our two heavyweights Marko and Rick competed in the same division. Both were determined to win in their first tournament. Rick had the toughest spot in the division, being the only white belt in an otherwise by blue belts packed division. Nevertheless Rick fought some great fights and in the end lost a razor thin decision in his fight for third place. Marko dominated his opponents all the way to the final were he lost by points in the last seconds of the fight, taking home second place.
The heavyweights get their trophies after the No-Gi fights
In the Gi division both guys had another chance to win gold. And this time they did not let the opportunity slip. Rick and Marko both outclassed the competition and took the trophy in the white and blue belt heavyweight division.
Our youngster Chris had his first opportunity to compete in a mixed division. Unfortunately the Juvenile category was not stacked and weight classes had to be combined. Being only 14 years old Chris made it to the final were he versed an older opponent who on top was 25kgs heavier than him. Chris showcased a tremendous amount of heart, fighting out of bad situations and battling his opponent over the full time. He eventually lost the fight by points but can be proud of his performance and his second place.
A similar situation appeared for Dillon who decided to move up two weight classes in order to face more competition. He also made it to the final where he lost after a well fought performance due to a submission close to the end of the fight. He also took second place in the heavier division.
Connor left no doubt about his skills and dominated his weight division in the blue belt category. He took home gold after outclassing all his opponents. He also competed in the blue belt open weight division where he lost his first bout after being miles ahead on points. It was a great performance though and showed that he will be a dominant force in the blue belt division in the future.
An exhausted but happy Connor after winning his division
The kings of the sumo competition right before the clash of titans
The event also hosted a sumo competition, which both of our heavyweights entered. Rick and Marko ran through the competition only to verse each other in the final. Under the cheers of their teammates Marko won by 2:1 points in an epic heavyweight battle.
Crow medals in BJJ
3 x Gold
3 x Silver
Gold and silver in the Sumo event.
