I started my Jiu-Jitsu journey in November 2020 when I was in kindergarten. Back then, I had no idea what I was doing, no skills, and I was a bit shy. As a white belt, I was at the very beginning, just like everyone else. It was tough because I struggled with confidence and often felt nervous. But after two and a half months, I finally earned my first stripe, and that made me proud!
After a whole year of training, I finally got to compete in an SJJA competition! I was surprisingly calm—just ready to jump in and fight. I had four matches and, guess what? I won them all, bringing home my very first gold medal!
My first opponent was BB, a full grey belt. He was pretty tough, but I managed to take him down. Next up was AL, another white belt like me. He put up a good fight, but I squeaked by with a win thanks to the judges’ decision.
During my third match, I faced LK. I felt a little bad because I caught him in a triangle choke, and he had a hard time breathing. But the last match was against GO, my friend from the gym. I won, but honestly, I didn’t care much about the victory since he’s my buddy. It was an amazing experience overall!
My dad always told me to be strong and confident. I realised that being good at Jiu-Jitsu isn’t just about training—it’s also about having a strong heart and mind. If you believe in yourself, you can do anything—sports, exams, anything! That’s like a superpower.
My next competition was the state cup. This time, I was nervous because my first opponent, AAM, was from Iraq and super tough. But I beat him by 4 points! My next opponent, HM, was easier, but still good. He got 4 points, and I got 8. Then I fought DS, who wasn’t that hard, but I was already so tired from fighting AAM. DS ended up beating me, and I won a bronze medal. (April 30, 2023)
In the Winter Cup, my first opponent was AP, a grey belt. Then I fought AS, a friend from another gym. He was nice. In my third match, I beat ZB by advantage, but he didn’t want to be friends after, maybe because he was mad he lost. My final opponent was AAM again. This time, he beat me in 12 seconds with a submission! We shook hands, and I won silver while he took gold.
At the 2023 SJJA Cup, my first opponent was KZ. He wasn’t easy, but I beat him with a submission. He cried, so I helped him up, and he felt better. My next opponent, AR, was huge—145cm tall, while I was only 132cm! But my dad always told me that strength doesn’t always win, so I used my technique and beat him 4-2. I won another gold medal!
In the Summer Cup, I lost my first match to TZ. I felt dumb for not trying hard enough. It was probably the only time I felt bad cause professor was there and I didn’t listen when he said do a double leg. After that time I practiced my take downs all the time.
At the Sydney Championship, I beat HT by submission. But against AW, the fight was unfair. When I took his back, they didn’t count my points, but when he did a takedown, they gave him points. But this happens sometimes so there is nothing I can do.
In the Autumn Cup, I beat OS by points. But my next opponent, AJ, was amazing. He submitted me in one minute! He had been training in Jiu-Jitsu for five years, which was impressive.
At the 2024 State Cup, I beat KD by submission and won my next match against NK by advantage. NK was my friend—we had met in a fun sparring corner. But then, of course, AAM showed up again and beat me the same way. I didn’t care too much because I still got a silver medal, but I was annoyed he submitted me again.
On November 3, 2024, I entered the SJJA Cup again. I saw my friends competing, and at 9:30 AM, I felt nervous because my first opponent, AG it was a tough fight but I won! My next opponent was CF. One of my coaches said he was the best fighter in his gym, so I got nervous. But I told myself, “I can do it!” and won by advantage. He was the hardest opponent I ever fought—besides AAM. 0-0 1 advantage
My last competition in Australia was my first time competing in both GI and no-GI. In GI, I lost my first match because the ref made a bad call when MT tried to armbar me. My arm wasnt even bent, I was still holding it to stop the armbar, I have been in worse armbars in my gym and they stop the fight. Even my parents thought it was to short and they should let me fight it a bit. In no-gi, I won my first match against TP by decision. Then I faced MT again and lost, but this time, I fought way better. I double-legged him, got into his guard, and defended myself well before he finally caught me in an armbar. This armbar was proper.
Looking back, I’ve come a long way. I started as a shy white belt with no skills, but now I’m stronger, more confident, and have won multiple medals. My dad and mum was right— to put me in Jiu-Jitsu cause its part of what I do daily now. Now I believe in myself and I never give up in anything!
Thank you! Coach Benji, Coach Jamie, Professor George and Coach Susan and other coaches for your support, I would not have enjoyed jiu-jitsu as much as I do without your coaching support. Hopefully, I will be stronger and tougher and more skilful when I come back to Australia one day.
I am now in a new gym because I moved overseas, this is a picture from my new gym , i also do muay thai but my dad said its just to excercise so I wont get tired easy, he wont allow me to get punched in the head, hopefully the new gym is good but so far I like it
