Jiu jitsu champ holds onto national title

AN eleven-year-old Clunes-based jiu jitsu athlete has just been crowned one of the country’s best in the sport for the second year in a row.

Creswick Primary School student and yellow belt Leiarnna Ferguson took home the gold in her age, and under-30-kilogram weight bracket in the Australian Federation of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu’s national championship on Sunday.

The win came as the result of two days of competing at Melbourne’s Albert Park, and Ferguson said she’s ecstatic to receive the accolade once again.

“I felt really proud of that because I had just won silver overseas and all of a sudden won gold as well,” she said.

Ferguson’s national win is something of a victory lap having achieved her goal of travelling to Florida last month to compete in the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation Pan Kids Championships.

She brought home silver in that competition, and was supported on her trip thanks to community donations organised through her father Jay Ferguson.

“I was really happy with that because I got the chance to actually represent Australia and my team and bring home silver,” she said.

“That was my first time competing overseas. We were over there for about three weeks.”

She preceded the two major events this year with state title wins in Victoria and New South Wales.

Leiarnna’s next goal is to compete in the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation’s Pan Pacific Kids Championship in Melbourne in October.

Mr Ferguson said the upcoming event will put Leiarnna on the global stage once again.

“It’s an international event as opposed to state,” he said. “They’ve both got their prestige but with state comps, the big gyms in America aren’t necessarily watching that.

“With the Pan Pacs they will be watching the results.

“Last year, we missed out on getting her registration papers in order for the event last year so this’ll be the first time for her to compete in it.”

The family currently travels to Melbourne five to six nights a week for Leiarnna to train at the G-Force Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Fawkner.