Dunedin Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) club members who competed in the recent Pan Pacific BJJ championship in Melbourne are (from left) Benoit Auvray, Stuart Marks, Cristiano Anderson and Philip Lindsay. Absent: Matt Gilbert.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is a martial art and combat sport comprised of grappling and ground-fighting techniques based on the principle that a smaller, weaker person using leverage and proper technique can successfully defend themselves against a bigger, stronger assailant.
Dunedin BJJ club members Benoit Auvray, Philip Lindsay and Matt Gilbert, along with club co-founders and instructors Stuart Marks and Cristiano Anderson, travelled to Melbourne earlier this month to compete in the BJJ Pan Pacific Championship tournament held on November 15 and 16 and came back with a total of seven medals - two gold, one silver and four bronze - placing them in the top 10 teams at the tournament.
Dunedin BJJ club cofounder Cristiano Anderson said this year's tournament, the largest in Australia, attracted a record number of athletes, who competed in more than 980 fights.
‘‘This tournament is recognised as the third most important international jiu jitsu competition in the world, behind the Pan American and world championships, and is a qualifying step to the world BJJ championship.
‘‘I am very proud of these guys who have worked so hard from the start of this year with just this tournament in mind,'' Mr Anderson said.
Mr Anderson started the Dunedin BJJ club with Stuart Marks about four years ago and the club has trained in an old scout hall in Wakari for the past two years.
‘‘When we first started we probably only had about four or five members, now we have up to 30 members who train with us at times.
‘‘We want to encourage more people to come out and see what BJJ is all about and we are very proud of the fact that we are able to provide a comfortable and familiar environment where people won't feel intimidated.''
Mr Anderson said for the past two years, the Dunedin BJJ club was the only club in New Zealand which took part in the Pan Pacific Championship, which this year attracted competitors from Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Brazil.
Mr Anderson, who won a bronze medal in the tournament, along with Benoit Auvray, who won three bronze medals and a silver medal, and Philip Lindsay, who won two gold medals, now qualifies to compete in the world BJJ championship in the United States next year.
- For more information on BJJ in Dunedin or how to get involved visit www.dunedin.bjjnz.com, email dunedinbjj@paradise.net.nz or call 021-141-7704.
