Two Cumbrian boys have secured silver in a top international jiu-jitsu championship.
Wyatt Fitzpatrick, aged eight, and Harry Kent, aged nine, both secured silver medals at the Newbreed World Jiu-Jitsu Championship – one of the largest grappling events in the world.
The boys competed in separate weight categories for eight and nine year olds, and fought their way through dozens of competitors to bag their titles.
Each recorded victories over opponents from places including Brazil, the USA, Russa, Japan, Colombia, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Kazakhstan.
The competition took place in the Orange County Convention Centre in Florida in front of thousands of competitors and spectators in different age and weight categories.
Wyatt, who is a year four pupil at Newbarns Primary and Nursery School, made it all the way to the final without a single point being scored against him.
He said: “In jiu-itsu you’ve got to stay calm under pressure and remember what you’ve learned.
“I just tell myself, ‘Don’t tap – you’ve got this!’ even when someone’s trying to choke me out or break my arm!”
The final bout came down to a referee’s decision after Wyatt went the distance with no points scored and no submissions.
Wyatt has also won gold at the Elite BJJ Junior World Championships in July, the Elite National Championships in March and the NAGA England in June this year – all in highly competitive brackets.
Over the past 12 months, Wyatt has won an impressive 11 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze medals, along with a prestigious NAGA Championship Belt.
Both Wyatt and Harry are also dedicated members of Barrow’s LOBO Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu CLUB and train and compete at the highest levels of the sport.
Wyatt credits much of his recent progress to the coaching at LOBO, particularly from his mentor Hayden Reay, a former Newbarns pupil and son of the head coach.
Hayden has worked closely with him in one-to-one sessions over the past year, and Wyatt said his guidance and support has helped him achieve highly.
Wyatt’s father, Mark Fitzpatrick, said his family was incredibly proud.
He added: “Wyatt did brilliantly. Taking part in this competition has allowed him to test his skills against competitors from around the world, and to come away with runner-up at this level is an amazing achievement.”
Victoria Fitzgibbons, acting headteacher at Newbarns Primary and Nursery School, which is part of South Cumbria Multi-Academy Trust, also praised Wyatt’s achievements.
She said: “Balancing high-level sporting performance with his schoolwork is no easy task, yet Wyatt manages this while learning new skills along the way.”
