Golden boy: Gordon Ryan had the weekend of his life at ADCC world championships- the grappling Olympics. In the most successful debut performance in the history of the sport he won gold in his weight category and silver in the open weight category. There were too many notable features in his performance to list them all in one post, but I will say this is one of the most memorable performances in my entire coaching career – it was a privilege to play a small role in his preparation and then observe up close this incredible debut. Mr Ryan is not even close to his full potential and is determined to improve for future world championships. This is only the second time an American has won two medals at one ADCC (Mark Kerr won double gold in the early days of ADCC). Our whole team is so proud of his great accomplishment, as are his Mom and Dad, who traveled all the way from New Jersey to watch their Uber talented progeny. So much great work from the whole squad – I will say more in the near future. I hope you all enjoyed the big show. Happy that the approach we bring to jiu jitsu and try hard to communicate to you all through words and deeds had such a strong showing. I am so proud that my dear sensei Renzo Gracie was there (he had a fine win today which I shall talk about very soon) and that I could make him happy with the teams performance. Wishing you all the best from Finland. I will head home to NYC soon to begin the training of Georges St-Pierre for his comeback fight November 4. Thank you to ADCC for another great show – thank you to all the athletes who participated- so many legends among them – Your presence and achievements fill me with pride for our sport.
