ABU DHABI // After failing to secure qualification to the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship for seven years, Martino da Silva decided enough was enough.
He paid for his own passage to take part in the Masters purple belt 77-kilogrammes and came out tops in the category, winning South Africa’s first gold in the adult division at the Ipic Arena on Wednesday.
“I wasn’t getting any younger,” said Da Silva, 32, after his victory by advantage points over Willian Campos of Colombia in the final.
“To earn a qualification from the trials was becoming harder every year, so I decided I’ll travel at my own expense to participate in the Masters-1. Having arrived here, I’m glad I made the trip.
“It [victory] hasn’t hit me yet. I am completely in shock. It’s a dream come true. Jiu-jitsu has become a part of my life. It’s a dream even to compete and today I came around and won a gold medal.”
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Da Silva practised kick-boxing before the switch to jiu-jitsu, which he said is growing fast in South Africa.
“We are staging a lot of competitions and sending quite a lot of competitors to compete internationally, and there are also a lot of guys going professional,” he said.
Da Silva won his first two fights by submission and the semi-final and final by advantage points.
“It was a very tough final. Everything today worked to how we planned,” Da Silva said. “Today was just my day. We have come with a good team. About 12 of us competing.
“I’m sure this number will grow next year, and I will make the trip again, even if I don’t win a qualifying ticket.”
Da Silva has a day job working in his father’s business in a food distribution company in Cape Town.
“I have to sacrifice a lot of working hours for my practice sessions but I can because it’s a family business,” he said.
Sheena O’Connell added a silver medal to South Africa’s tally. She lost out to South Korea’s Sung Ki-ra in the female blue belt 70kg final.
“I competed in Abu Dhabi last year but couldn’t go beyond the first round,” O’Connell, 30, said. “To win a silver was a big turnaround for me. I had to come through a tough bracket and five fights.”
The South African had a tough passage to the final. She had to overcome four opponents — from Costa Rica, Jordan, Brazil and the USA — before her meeting with Sung in the championship round.
By day O’Connell is a software engineer but jiu-jitsu remains her first love and she also coaches young girls.
“I got drawn to jiu-jitsu after giving up rock climbing, which was my childhood sport,” she said. “I messed up my knees because in rock climbing you always use your legs in funny positions.
“So, I needed to do something else. First I tried mixed martial arts and then made the switch to jiu-jitsu.
“There are some similarities between rock climbing and jiu-jitsu, like strong hands and foot-awareness, just aware what your feet are doing.”
Meanwhile, the Brazilians added nine more gold medals to the three they won on the opening day of the Abu Dhabi World Pro on Tuesday.
Among them were Brenda Larissa, 18, winner of the blue belt 55kg. She scored two points early on and held on to that lead over Miranda Galban of Argentina.
“It’s my first time in Abu Dhabi and it turned out to be such a wonderful result,” Larissa said.
“For me, every fight was like a final. I had to go through five fights and to come through it was a big achievement.”
apassela@thenational.ae
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