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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“I felt really proud of that because I had just won silver overseas and all of a sudden won gold as well,” she said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
She brought home silver in that competition, and was supported on her trip thanks to community donations organised through her father Jay Ferguson.<\/p>\n
“I was really happy with that because I got the chance to actually represent Australia and my team and bring home silver,” she said.<\/p>\n
“That was my first time competing overseas. We were over there for about three weeks.”<\/p>\n
She preceded the two major events this year with state title wins in Victoria and New South Wales.<\/p>\n
Leiarnna’s next goal is to compete in the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation’s Pan Pacific Kids Championship in Melbourne in October.<\/p>\n
Mr Ferguson said the upcoming event will put Leiarnna on the global stage once again.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“With the Pan Pacs they will be watching the results.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 […]<\/p>\n