Jason Gagnon, an owner and instructor at Abbotsford’s Genesis Martial Arts and Fitness, won gold at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation’s Asian Open in Tokyo in late October.
Gagnon, competing in the brown belt adult male featherweight class, went 4-0 at the event, capped by a dominant 9-0 win over Hiroaki Otsuka of Japan in the final.
The Asian Open title in the latest triumph in a breakout year for Gagnon, who has gone undefeated en route to winning the Northwest Championships in Portland, the IBJJF Las Vegas International Open and the IBJJF American nationals.
He is now ranked No. 2 in the world in his category.
Earlier this month, the Genesis club sent a group of athletes to the Vancouver Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship, and they came home with 10 medals.
Devon MacIntyre and Brogan Bjarnason highlighted the local club’s performances, winning gold medals in the adult purple belt middleweight and mighty mite middleweight divisions, respectively.
Silver medalists included Kiyoshi Perkins (adult blue belt middle), Scott Holden (adult blue belt heavy), Zeke Kroeker (peewee 1 feather), Gabe Kroeker (junior feather) and Gunner Cooper (teen light-featherweight).
Bronze medal winners were TJ Mulroy (adult white belt light), Preston Sheirer (peewee 2 light) and Burke Scheirer (junior super heavyweight).