Ōpōtiki fighters come home with medal haul
GOLD: Omarumutu Jiu Jitsu fighters Malachi Collier, Manaia Shepherd, Skylah Crosswell and Taimanawa Shepherd won gold at the national championships in Auckland at Labour Weekend. /Supplied/ 1000016197
Sven Carlsson
Omarumutu Jiu Jitsu fighters have brought honour and medals to Ōpōtiki following the national championship held at the Barfoot and Thompson stadium in Auckland on Saturday.
Among the booty are national titles with Skylah Crosswell claiming the white-belt youth girl no-gi championship and coach Tao David taking home the black-belt no-gi men’s championship. Both were won on the basis of points collected over the year.
The national competition is held every year, alternating between gi and no-gi, with this year being a gi championship year.
Of the 65 clubs competing, Omarumutu Jiu Jitsu placed 15th with Kelly Brooks, Malachi Collier, Skylah Crosswell, and Taimanawa and Manaia Shepherd all winning gold medals and Renee Shepherd winning bronze.
Brooks said she decided to enter at the last minute.
“I wasn’t going to enter the nationals because I fought in Christchurch two weeks ago, in the New Zealand Grappler Southern Champs, where I won gold in gi and silver in no-gi,” she said.
The club’s competitors trained hard for at least a month before the nationals and it was not an easy ride to the podium for many.
“Taimanawa had the biggest bracket with nine competitors to win his gold,” Brooks said.
Despite this being a national competition, Brooks fought an American and a Frenchwoman to secure her title.
Lauren Donovan from the USA, Hold Down Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and MMA got silver and Aline Wex from France – GC Team Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu got bronze.
Shepherd also met an international contender on her journey to bronze.
Kayla Radford from Canada, fighting for the Oliver MMA New Lynn team won gold while Bailey Lennard from Xtreme Cavalcanti bjj Pukekohe took silver.
Omarumutu club member Tai Shepherd said international fighters taking part in these competitions were not unusual as many of them travelled around the world to have such experiences.
“I know of New Zealand clubs who have been fundraising to send fighters to Japan and the USA,” he said.
He and his wife were enticed into joining the Omarumutu club by their children.
“Our sons joined three years ago, and we joined the adult group last year.”