Sarreal Siblings Win Gold
Michael and Samantha Sarreal of Millington won gold at the Pan American Kids IBJJF Championship Tournament in Florida on July 23 and 24, 2022.
The Pan Kids event is the world’s largest and most prestigious BJJ tournament for kids aged 4-15. It is a 2-day event held annually by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF). There were about 2,000 competitors, displaying many of the most talented and dedicated youth Jiu-Jitsu competitors from all over the world.
Michael, 13 years old, competed as a yellow below in the Teen 1 division which had 14 top competitors, including previous Pan Ams medalists and IBJJF champions. In the Finals match, Michael defeated the Brazilian National and South American Champion by submitting him in a bow and arrow choke.
Samantha, 11 years old, competed as a grey belt in the Junior 2 division which had 9 elite competitors. In the semifinals, she defeated a competitor by triangle submission in 12 seconds. The finals match went the distance for the full 4 minutes and Samantha won by points 10-0.
This was Michael and Samantha’s first international tournament and first Pan Kids. Michael and Samantha are trained and coached by 6-time World Champion Vitor Shaolin Ribeiro and National Champion Andre Motta at the VSBJJA Academy in Scotch Plains. Michael has been training Jiu Jitsu for about 3 years and Samantha for about 2 years. They also started to cross-train in Judo a few months ago under 2-time Olympian Sensei Colton Brown in Warren.
“We are blessed and grateful to learn from the very best. Thank you to Master Shaolin and Coach Andre for all their time and dedication they put into us and for being our mentors on and off the mat. Thank you for believing in us, encouraging us, and teaching us hard work pays off. It was an amazing experience to compete with top athletes. A heartfelt thank you to all our family, friends, coaches, and training partners, who supported and cheered us on.”
Courtesy photo
