Evolve's Tristian clinches gold medal at BJJ Euro Junior championships

A bronze and silver medalist in the 2015 Junior European Championships, the 12 year-old Burnfoot lad managed to go one better in this year’s championships, by defeating his opponent from Belgium in the final with an armbar submission victory in just 35 seconds, much to the admiration of the onlooking spectators.

Having already claimed gold at both the UK National and Irish National Championships in BJJ this year, Tristan knew he would have his biggest challenge ahead at the Junior European Championships, where he would compete in the teen age group category for the first time, fighting in the Under-38kg division, despite weighing just 34kg.

As a practitioner of five different martial arts (BJJ, traditional Jiu Jitsu, Judo, Wrestling and Kung Fu) confidence was high going into the biggest international competition of the year.

Indeed, Tristan had warmed up by winning gold at the recent WJJF (World Jiu Jitsu Federation) Grappling competition in Ballymena - Tristan’s third consecutive WJJF title - as well as silver in the Irish Open Freestyle Wrestling Championships in Dublin and Gold in the Shori Judo Open in Derry, all throughout the month of October.

That brings the rising martial arts star’s medal tally to an incredible 17 for the year (10 Gold, 6 Silver and one Bronze), having won 35 of his 43 competitive fights in 2016, earning him the moniker ‘The Prodigy’, given to him by Team Evolve coach, Jason McCabe.

After an outstanding year in martial arts, in which Tristan claimed the unique hat-trick of becoming both UK National and Irish National, and now European champion in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Evolve coaches can’t wait to see what the future holds for the club’s rising star.