Byron Public School year six student Alessandro Imamura won the yellow belt under 34kg division at the 2025 Abu Dhabi World Youth Jiu-Jitsu Championship earlier this month.
Committed student and teacher
The 11-year old fought through a stacked 30-athlete bracket featuring competitors from all over the globe and secured five consecutive wins to bring the gold medal home to Byron Bay, according to his dad Fernando Imamura.
‘In addition to training five to six days per week at The Academy Byron Bay, Alessandro also teaches the five to seven-year-old group classes and coaches a few private students to help develop their skills,’ said Fernando.
He trains under Professor Thalison Soares, a nine-time world champion who also claimed gold in the black belt professional division at the Abu Dhabi event.
‘We are incredibly fortunate to have an athlete of his calibre living and coaching in Byron Bay,’ Fernando said.
‘These achievements have firmly placed Byron Bay on the world’s jiu-jitsu map.’
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