Melqui Galvão’s youth team repeated its usual performance to top the team rankings at the IBJJF Pan American Championships, which took place this month in Florida. In the category of athletes younger than adults, the competitors trained by Mica Galvão’s father accumulated enough points to propel the team to first place in the rankings.
Even without a base in the United States, the Melqui Galvão school’s headquarters are in Jundiaí, São Paulo, and the team continues to hold its own, defending its position as favorites against equally competitive and well-prepared academies. On the podium, Melqui Galvão Jiu-Jitsu was the champion with 45 points on the table, followed by Atos, with 40 points, and AOJ, which scored 38.
Kalebe Henrique wins gold in the lightweight absolute
Kalebe Henrique, one of the main talents of the youth team, was the absolute lightweight champion in the youth 2 division. A name to be beaten by his opponents, Kalebe set the pace in the open weight division to secure the gold. In the category disputes, he took silver, fighting in the lightweight division.
Blue belt Livia Barasine is increasingly standing out at the top. This is the second IBJJF Grand Slam competition that she has won double gold. She achieved the same feat at the European Championships in January in Portugal. At the Pan American Games, she performed in the junior 2, weight and absolute divisions. The two gold medals were the result of consecutive victories in the super heavyweight and absolute heavyweight divisions.
Kauã Diogo, also known as ‘Cebolinha’, was another Pan American champion trained by Melqui. In the Junior 1, lightweight division, he won the title. The gold medal was the result of victories in four fights. He won the final by submission, with an armbar. It is worth mentioning that ‘Cebolinha’ also competed in the lightweight absolute division, finishing in third place.
In the points tally, Murilo do Vale also contributed by making it to the podium in the weight and absolute categories. André Ágabo and João Vítor occupied the two third-place positions in the light heavyweight, youth 2. João took another medal for the team, with bronze in the heavyweight, youth 2 absolute.
