They may be among the smallest competitors on the mat, but a group of young Brazilian jiu-jitsu athletes from Worcester has brought home a big victory.
Competitors from Soneca BJJ, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu academy with a location in Worcester, captured first place in the Pee Wee team division at the 2026 Boston Fall Kids International Open, collecting 48 points to finish 20 points ahead of the runner-up.
The championship gave the young athletes a chance to compete on a stage organized by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, one of the sport’s leading governing bodies, which oversees major competitions in the United States and abroad. For the Worcester-area competitors, the tournament was an opportunity to test their skills against other young athletes while representing their academy in an internationally recognized competition. The team’s victory was built on individual performances that added up to a collective championship.
Among the highlights were two Soneca BJJ teammates who finished first and second in the same girls’ division, earning gold and silver medals while contributing to the academy’s overall point total.
Their performances helped propel Soneca BJJ to the top of the Pee Wee standings, with a 20-point margin over the second-place team.
The academy, which appears as SNCA BJJ in the federation’s official tournament results, celebrated the achievement as a team accomplishment.
The competition also offered the young athletes experience in a sport that demands considerable discipline, technique and composure. Brazilian jiu-jitsu emphasizes grappling and ground fighting, with competitors using positioning, leverage and submission techniques rather than strikes.
The Boston Fall Kids International Open is part of the federation’s broader competition circuit, which includes tournaments across the United States, Europe and Brazil, as well as world championship events. Germano Lima, who shared news of the team’s victory, credited the young competitors for bringing the championship back to their academy. The team’s Worcester head coach is Professor Alex Guimarães.
For the young athletes, the first-place trophy represents more than a successful day of competition. It is a shared achievement, with individual medals contributing to a team title and a chance for some of Worcester’s youngest martial artists to celebrate together.
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