At just 12 years old, Byron Bay Jiu Jitsu athlete Ale Imamura has brought another major international title home after being crowned 2026 IBJJF Pan Kids Champion in Orlando, Florida.
Last year Ale brought silver to his home town but this year he returned to the event determined to finish the job in the top spot. Competing at the Silver Spurs Arena on one of the biggest stages in the world for junior Jiu Jitsu, Ale won all four of his matches to become a two-time Pan Kids Champion.
Ale competed in the Yellow Belt Under 37kg division representing The Academy Byron Bay, with his coach and eight time World Champion Thalison Soares in his corner throughout the competition.
His road to gold included two wins by submission and two by points, but the biggest moment came in the final. In a dramatic finish, Ale secured an armbar in the dying seconds of the match to claim the title and win the gold.
Away from the mats, Ale is a Year 7 student at Byron Bay High School, where he also achieves wins with strong academic – balancing school with a demanding training schedule and regular interstate and international competition.
There is no slowing down from here. This coming weekend Ale heads to Melbourne to represent Byron Bay at the Australian Nationals at MSAC and in September he will travel to Tokyo for the World Championships, then on to the European No Gi Championships in Lisbon in October.
From the classroom and training mats in Byron Bay to some of the biggest Jiu Jitsu stages in the world, Ale continues to proudly carry his hometown with him wherever he competes and with a big few months ahead and the cost of competing nationally and internationally continuing to grow, Ale is looking to build partnerships with local businesses that would like to be part of his journey.
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