Vincent Hadjioannou strikes again. The 12-year-old grappler from Langdale won the gold medal in the 13 to 15 age category at the B.C. provincial Canadian Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (CBJJF) tournament on Feb. 6 in Vancouver.
Vincent took down four older opponents using lapel chokes, including one brown belt – which is three belt rankings above white in BJJ.
“When I first went into the fight, I was a little nervous,” Vincent said. “But once you get them on the ground, it’s like a walk in the park.”
Vincent’s father and personal trainer, Than Hadjioannou, said he was shocked to see a brown belt competing against his son. Aside from age, the category was also limited to white/grey belts.
“I had the option to pull my son out at that point, but I knew he was well prepared and well trained for this moment,” Than said. “The brown belt then proceeded to borrow a white belt from someone so he could compete. I found this to be cheating, and quite cheezy, but this so-called brown belt was about to run into a Langdale champ.”
This was Vincent’s gold medal fight. Than said the brown belt took the upper hand initially, but Vincent managed to turn the tables.
“Vincent took his back and proceeded to lock in a deep lapel choke. His opponent had no choice but to tap out quickly as he was about to be put to sleep,” Than said. “All of Vincent’s time on the mats really paid off.”
Than said that he and Vincent are hoping to compete in the Alberta provincials in Calgary this April, and the Saskatchewan provincials in Regina this May.
