Brazilian conquers European Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 45 and reveals plans to be world champion; check out

Through several examples, one can consider in Jiu-Jitsu that it’s never too late to start your dream. At the age of 45, Amanda Magda once again showed that, for anyone, age is just a number. Competing as an adult, the black belt from the Fratres BJJ team stole the show at the 2023 European Jiu-Jitsu Championship, held by the IBJJF in Paris, France, and won the heavyweight title with a submission win over Elizabeth Katherine (Alliance) at the final.

Amanda is one more among many cases of people who seek the gentle art for self-control and self-knowledge. Having her first contact with the modality in 2014, the athlete had to stop training three months later due to the pregnancy of her second child. The definitive return came in 2016, and since then, Amanda Magda has alternated between competitions in the adult and also in the masters, as she tells below.

“I started competing as a white belt and already fighting as an adult, when there was no one in the master division. But I started to challenge myself to fight more as an adult at brown belt, interspersing a competition in the master 1 and another in the adult division. blue belt, I fought as a master in several championships, including the Brazilian and World Championships, where I managed to be champion in all belts. Fighting as a master and an adult is very different, the time of position, explosion and reflexes that the younger ones have makes them feel good ahead. But I like it, because it challenges me to think and makes me evolve faster. I believe that the greater the challenge, the greater our effort and dedication needs to be”, he explained.

Being willing to compete in the adult category in Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 45 and still be champion of a major tournament like the IBJJF European is a feat for few. In view of this, the Fratres BJJ athlete explained the challenges and summarized her posture and mentality when she puts herself to the test against younger opponents within the gentle art.

“Of course, for any sport, being 45 years old and challenging yourself in the professional category is not easy, but it is not impossible either. When we understand that we are fighting to evolve, regardless of the result, it will be positive. , thinking about what others will think, because you will be the one who will live with your accomplishments on a daily basis. If you blame yourself, feel ashamed or stop doing it, the weight you will carry will be bad. But if you see it in another way, just having had the courage to face a challenge, it will be easy to live with”, summarized the tough guy.

Champion in the heavyweight category at the European Jiu-Jitsu Championship, Amanda Magda said what the title represented for her career in the gentle art: “That title was the biggest challenge I dared to face. far from home, in the adult division, with just over a year as a black belt… It was a mix of emotions when we decided that we were going to fight, challenging, scary and exciting. Because, regardless of the result, I knew I would gain a lot of baggage , experience and maturity”, said the fighter, who spoke a little about her campaign until she won the dreamed gold medal.

“I was very emotional when I entered to fight, I knew I wanted to do my best, do what I trained for. Regardless of the result, I sought to do this, and I was incredibly happy to have succeeded. About the submission in the final (laughs), I like it a lot, I love foot and knee transitions, I feel safe when I do them. It was something that in my year as a brown belt, my teacher Rodrigo ‘Caixa’, who knows a lot about them, taught me, but before that I didn’t even know to do”.

Fratres BJJ representative, Amanda Magda also highlighted the work done by the Morumbi (SP) team, which is led by entrepreneur and black belt Daniel Affini. Of the 15 athletes who left for Paris to compete in the IBJJF European Jiu-Jitsu Championship, 12 of them won medals, including, of course, Amanda.

“I believe that the importance of things is worth the weight you give them. The work and support that our team and master give us is present in the day-to-day in every preparation to get there. Now, he’s on the mat to fight, it’s you and your mind. It does have the power to put you where you want. You have to learn to control it, because many times it will sabotage you. My master Luis Marques gave me some challenges this year… The European was the first. Maybe (I’ll compete at) the Pan-American, we’re still analyzing it, but I’m going to the adult IBJJF Worlds for sure. I still want to live that experience in my lifetime”, concluded the Jiu-Jitsu black belt.