Vincent Hadjioannou – a 12-year-old competitor from Langdale – brought home the bronze medal from the Vancouver International Open on Dec. 5 at the University of British Columbia.
Vincent was bumped into the 14 to 16 year old division at the tournament and still managed to hold his own against three bigger, stronger and older opponents. Scott Ewen – Vincent’s coach and head instructor at Coast Martial Arts in Gibsons – said that’s what he trains his students for.
“His first opponent was like [195 cm] and probably [77 kg]. Vincent is only about [167 cm] and [63 kg],” Ewen said. “He fought a lot of big dudes, did really good and didn’t get submitted. Ended up taking home bronze after fighting three guys. It’s really impressive for a 12-year-old to do.”
Ewen said his students focus on details in their training instead of brute force.
“We don’t rely on strength, we don’t rely on speed. When we train, we try to eliminate those two factors so that it’s just skill,” Ewen said. “When you get to the bigger, stronger guys, the attention to detail is really what helps us win.
“To have us go out and fight those guys, it’s just another day for us,” Ewen said. “All of Vinnie’s training partners have always been bigger and stronger than him. For Vinnie it’s just about putting in your work and doing what you know how to do. And don’t give up. That’s exactly what he did. He went in there and he fought giants.”
Vincent’s father, Than Hadjioannou, was at the competition as well, competing in the Masters over-40 division.
“My son actually joined [Jiu-Jitsu] first,” Than said. “I stuck around and did the adults class after it. It’s just something that we do together and my seven-year-old daughter does it as well. The family that trains together stays together. It’s a big family event.”
Vincent was the only competitor registered to fight in his age class, which is why he was bumped into the older one. Than said Vincent made the decision to stick with it and fight anyway.
“I realised he was being thrown in some deep water, but he agreed,” Than said. “You could see the height difference on the podium. He was just tiny compared to some of those kids. But he survived and did amazing.”
Than was also bumped out of his category, but into a younger one. He fought a guy who was about 20 cm taller and 22 kg heavier than him. He tied with his opponent during the fight, but when it came down to total points, his opponent won. Although, Than said, he was mostly there for Vincent.
“He wanted to enter the tournament and he wanted me to enter with him as a father and son, so this was an opportunity,” Than said. “We jumped in and he called it one of the happiest days of his life to go into a tournament with his dad.”
Than said that he and Vincent are looking into upcoming Jiu-Jitsu competitions. There’s one in January in B.C. “We’re looking at some international ones too,” Than said. “What a great thing to plan a family vacation around, a tournament in a different country.”
