OpenMat Athletes Aim For Medals In Toronto
[Written by Stephen Wright]
OpenMat Bermuda will send 16 junior and adult athletes to compete at the Grappling Industries Toronto Gi & No Gi Robin Round Tournament this weekend.
The island’s only Brazilian jui-jitsu academy won one gold, three silver, and two bronze medals at the tournament last year.
All those medal winners [Gaia Angeli, gold; Thea Dyer, Ashley Dyer, and Keegan Dyer, silver; and Ezra Dyer and Ashley Dyer, bronze] will compete this weekend.
The adults will be in action on Saturday and the juniors on Sunday.
Aaron Dyer, the founder of OpenMat, will travel with the team, which left the island today [January 18].
“Tournaments like this are a door to continuous growth,” Dyer told Bernews.
“It’s exciting for the guys competing and gives them something to test themselves against and achieve.”
Dyer said he was particularly proud of the number of local youngsters representing OpenMat in Toronto.
“The youngsters are the future,” he said. “If you concentrate on them, the sport will keep growing in Bermuda.
“The kids are looking good, and a few adults are competing for the first time. It will give them a taste of what it’s all about.”
Juniors
- Elias Angeli [white belt, 8-9 years, 85Ibs]
- Logan Frith [grey belt, 8-9 years, 65Ibs]
- Giles Roberts [intermediate, grey belt, 10-11 years, 85Ibs]
- Thomas Melsom [grey belt, 12-13 years, 155Ibs]
- Gaia Angeli [grey belt, 12-13 years, 125Ibs]
- Thea Dyer [yellow belt, 10-11 years, 75Ibs]
- Ezra Dyer [advanced, yellow/orange belt, 12-13 years, 95Ibs]
- Keegan Dyer [yellow/orange belt, 14-15 years, 105Ibs]
Adult
- Siraj Grant [white belt, 155Ibs]
- Ryan Hopkins [white belt, 185Ibs]
- Jahmali Bridgewater [white belt, 215Ibs]
- Ramazan Ramazanov [white belt, 215Ibs]
- Greg Maybury [blue belt, 170Ibs]
- Elijah Richardson [blue belt, 185Ibs]
- Ashley Dyer [Beginner white belt, 155Ibs]
- Olivia Buchanan [white belt, 16-17 years, 125Ibs]
