Victories at No Gi world championships: The squad's Canadian contingent had an outstanding performance at the No Gi world championships this weekend. Oliver Taza won the gold medal at lightweight brown belt and Ethan Crelinsten won a silver medal at light featherweight brown belt. Both athletes had a very high submission rate despite not being able to use the weapon we are most associated with – heel hooking. These two young men always impress me with the dedication they show to travel long distances to train with us and keep improving. This was the last big show of the year and to see their progress rewarded in this fashion is very gratifying. Thanks also to Gordon Ryan and Garry Tonon for traveling out to the competition with them to corner and coach. This has been an amazing g year for Messrs Taza and Crelinsten- both had very strong performances at ADCC despite relative inexperience and now at the IBJJF world championships as well. Expect even more next year as they continue to train hard and make the technical and tactical progress needed to get to the next level of achievement.
