A Guam contingent of Brazilian jiu-jitsu players won 34 medals and took second place in the team category at the Asian Open Jiu-Jitsu Championships last weekend in Tokyo, Japan.
The Asian Open is the largest jiu-jitsu tournament in Asia and one of the five most prestigious tournaments in the world, according to Stephen Roberto, head instructor of Purebred Guam/Lloyd Irvin Jiu-jitsu Academy.
Joining the team were black belts Mike Fowler and Jonathan “JT” Torres. Fowler and Torres are from Purebred’s affiliate school in Maryland. Fowler is a former instructor at Purebred.
Divisions
The tournament divided competitors by belt ranking, weight class and age, according to the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation’s official website.
Roberto won gold in the heavyweight and absolute divisions at the black belt senior level. Fowler finished second in the middleweight division and earned a fourth-place bronze medal in the absolute division of the black belt adult level. Torres was first in the lightweight division and also took home the third-place bronze medal in the absolute division adult level. Roberto said the IBJJF gives out bronze medals to third- and fourth-place finishers in divisions that have a high number of competitors. Fowler and Torres were the lightest competitors in the absolute division, he added.
Terence Aflague won gold in the middleweight division and bronze in the absolute division at the black belt master level. Roberto said this was Aflague’s first tournament as a black belt.
William Escobar won a silver medal in the middleweight division at the brown belt master division.
Joshua Jerome, Eric Sian, James Paek, Javier Mirelez and Mike Sanchez all competed at the purple belt adult level. Jerome was first in the ultra heavyweight division. Sian won gold and Paek won bronze in the medium heavyweight division. Mirelez won bronze in the middleweight division and Sanchez finished first in the light featherweight division.
In the blue belt senior level, Robert Gutierrez and Steve Shimizu won gold at lightweight and middleweight, respectively. Gutierrez also won a bronze in the absolute division senior level.
At the blue belt master level, Lasrron Gandaoli won bronze in the middleweight division.
Romeo Sanchez, Chad Ada, James Lee, Alan Cepeda and Richard Henriquez were competitors at the blue belt adult level. Sanchez was first in the super heavyweight division and Ada was second in the heavyweight division. Lee won silver in the medium heavyweight division and Cepeda finished third in the middleweight division. Henriquez also finished third in the featherweight division.
The women
On the women’s side, Jenna Shih won gold in the lightweight division at the blue belt level. Danielle Cabaccang and Aileen Wong took first and second, respectively, in the light featherweight division. Dara Roberto earned a bronze in the featherweight division.
Jose Perez Leon Guerrero II was second in the ultra heavyweight division at the white belt adult level. John-Eddie Moser took home gold in the medium heavyweight division and Justin Leon Guerrero was third in the middleweight division.
Roberto added that he was pleased with the way the team executed its game plan and represented the island in a positive light. “I think the team did an outstanding job,” he said.
He said he is thankful for the continuing support he has received from the community and from his students’ families.
