The Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour Rio de Janeiro 2023 took place over the last weekend…
And it was a spectacular tournament, a fantastic start to the ADGS 2023-2024 tour!
But before we bring you the highlights and results, here’s a question that you might have thought about…
What is it like to compete in Rio de Janeiro? Specifically, at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam?
Well, for starters, Rio has amazing hospitality!
Here’s what it was like for one of the competitors who stayed in a local Airbnb:
My breakfast was wonderful. I have this Airbnb place and there is this 73-year-old grandmother.
She takes really good care of me…Speaks maybe 5 words of English and I speak 5 words of Portuguese. But somehow we get along.
She made me pancakes with bananas. And there was watermelon, a little bit of bread, coffee…
It was wonderful.
Of course, there’s the exhilarating competition level, that brings the best out of everyone!
It makes all of the preparation worthwhile, as emphasized by another competitor:
Six months today complete and black belt to be able to enjoy this moment, for me it’s a blessing.
I’m very excited and happy.It’s been 6 months of a lot of intensity…
And to be here today, winning a medal, even if it’s bronze – to me, it’s like gold!
