Last weekend we competed in the AFBJJF NSW State Titles, where we were represented by competitors from each of our five academies.
From UJJ HQ, our most standout performance came from Matthew Kannan.
Matthew was previously sick with the flu, having dropped 5kg of his body weight and had not come to training for two weeks because of it.
As he was already registered for the gi and no-gi divisions, he decided to turn up on Saturday and have just one match and see how he goes.
One by one, he knocked off his competition. And after five matches and a stellar effort, he won a silver medal in his division.
On Sunday, he fought six matches and got gold in the no-gi. Congratulations Matthew on a remarkable performance and one that will go down in our fondest of comp memories.
Young gun Micheal Karevski put on a perfect, methodical performance and showed a lot of heart, as he showcased his years of training and preparation by winning the gold medal in his division.
After witnessing his complete dominance and efficient techniques, it was truly a pleasure to give him his blue belt on the podium.
He is an absolute role model student and martial artist. Congratulations Michael on your well-deserved and hard-earned promotion.
Vera Naumoska initially lost her first match and was overwhelmed by her opponent, only to fight her way back to the final. She gave the same girl that overwhelmed her in her first match, the hardest fight that she had had so far.
Although Vera just missed out on points to get the gold medal, her warrior performance and never-give-up attitude was rewarded with a promotion to yellow belt. Congratulations Vera, and welcome to your new belt.
Congratulations to all the competitiors and medal winners:
Gold
George Apokis
Mark Benic
Michael Karevski
Matthew Kannan
Silver
Vincent Sherman
Riley Salonga
Vera Naumoska
Matthew Kannan
Bronze
Luke Manu
Gabriel Naumoski
Dimitri Apokis
Thank you to everyone else that competed and proudly represented UJJ.
Your presence and competitive spirit motivates us to keep doing what we do, running the academies day in and day out.
We take huge pride in our students’ achievements and celebrate their journeys.
However, the most important aspect of competition, is the ability to reach out beyond your own personal comfort zone and see what you can truly achieve within yourself.
The anticipation of waiting for your match to come up, and the adrenaline you need to overcome as you take the first steps onto the mats to face your opponent requires a lot of courage.
This is actually what we pride ourselves on being able to accomplish, and our competitors should always be commended for it.
For now, let’s get back to what we love – training, and adding and refining those skills.
– Team UDA
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