STUDENTS from a jiu-jitsu academy in Bournemouth have been named champions in Europe.
Four members of the De Souza Dojo Academy brought home gold medals from the 2023 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu European Championship in Paris last month.
They were Angelika Glapiak, Judith Emery, Trevor Birmingham, and academy owner and coach Alex De Souza.
Alex said: “We had four people from our gym with gold medals this year, so it’s a great achievement for me as a coach, not just a competitor.
“We’re coaching our students to become champions.”
Alex, who owns the De Souza Dojo Academy with his wife Katie, has been training in jiu-jitsu since the age of 12, and began teaching it in the year 2000.
For many years, his eyes have been set on winning big at the European Championships.
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Alex said: “Since 2010, I’ve been trying to win gold. It's taken me 13 years to do that.
“I’d got to the final quite a few times and lost, but this time I won."
Alex had competed in a 21-man division and had four tough fights on his journey to become the 2023 champion.
He added: “It’s a wonderful feeling to become the European champion, especially with how many times I failed.”
Another successful fighter at the competition was Angelika Glapiak- a purple belt student who also instructs the ladies classes at De Souza Dojo.
Angelika is from Bournemouth and has been training in Jiu-Jitsu for six and a half years.
She said: “This year was my first gold in the Europeans, so probably the most important. It was just amazing to win.
“Last year we won some medals but not golds.”
Angelika added that the year ahead was looking “very busy”, with plenty of fights already lined up.
Students Judith Emery, a brown belt, and Trevor Birmingham, a second-degree black belt, had also won golds at this year’s championships.
De Souza Dojo said they were “super proud” of the academy for its achievements.
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