Summit Grappling Academy enjoyed an excellent trip to the 2025 British Open Championships at Warwick University in Coventry recently.

Having also enjoyed success in Rome at the IBJJF Junior European Championships and IBJJF Rome Open, the medal haul at the British event continued what has been a superb year for the Douglas-based martial arts club.

Gold medal winners of the tournament subsequently hold legitimate British champion titles.

This year, Summit Grappling took their biggest team to date with 24 competitors, and they returned with 23 medals and a whopping eight British titles.

Ismael Khalil, at only six years old and in his first tournament, showed total domination and control, winning his division to earn the first gold medal and become the island’s youngest British champion to date.

Esther Patterson, also at her first tournament and only five years old, showed her fierce determination and grit, winning her first match on points to claim a silver medal.

Valeri Topulev was keen to perform well and won his first match with a well-executed armbar submission to claim silver.

Theodore Sloane found himself up against his team-mate and training partner in the final of their division. Both fought well, with Theo claiming gold and the British title.

Lucas Hanlon showed calm control and technique to win his first match on points, narrowly missing out on a title by a single advantage point in the final, taking silver.

Debutante Koa Hamman produced an impressive 31-second pressure submission in her first match to ultimately bring home a well-deserved silver medal.

Stanlagh Mayers put in a solid technical performance to win his first match with a submission and claim bronze in his division.

Joe Bosworth put in a fast, dynamic and controlled performance to quickly take the back and dominate his opponent, to claim gold and Summit’s third British title of the day against a competitor from a very high-level club.

Luca Christian won his first match with a strong submission finish to claim bronze.

Eliza Patterson, following her sister’s earlier performance, took a win in the semi-final, claiming silver following the narrowest possible loss, by referee’s decision, in the final.

Tyler Collins, also a debutant, took two wins with a submission finish and a points finish, claiming a well-earned silver medal. Aden Dunkley-Nation took a points win in his first match to take bronze.

Alan Greenhalgh was his usual composed self and produced a dominant performance in his three matches, building points and keeping a safe lead to win the final and claim a further British title.

After taking silver at the European Championships in May this is another great accolade for this strong competitor.

Hanako Henson, also fresh from claiming silver in a new division at Europeans, and 2024 European Champion, put in an unstoppable performance showcasing a well-rounded and dominant game.

Winning her first match with an 18-point lead, she took a second points win in the semi-final and a submission finish in the final by applying pressure to her opponent to a point her opponent tapped out. Hana claimed Summit’s fifth British title.

Our junior performances earned Summit third place trophy in the junior rankings overall. For the size of the team and the fact Summit is a single club and not an affiliation of many clubs and their members, this is an incredible achievement for our youngsters and coaches alike.

Next up were the adult divisions. Marc Purcell, in his third tournament, made short work of his division with submission finishes with a breadcutter choke in both, a favourite submission of his. He claimed gold and the sixth British title of the day.

He then entered the absolute (open weight division) where all weights combine. In a bracket of 17, Purcell continued his streak with a third signature submission and a points win to claim bronze. Impressive work with no break between his division and the absolute.

Sorrelle Williams also entered the absolute where she first faced her opponent from her division, who had earlier claimed gold. Sorrelle’s determination shone and she took a points win in the semi-final.

In the final she executed a slick takedown to take the dominant position with a submission finish to take gold and seventh British title of the day for the team.

Rachel Kermeen was a force to be reckoned with in her last competition and continued to be so in her division. Her second match was particularly dynamic and a crowd pleaser, and with two submission finishes she very dominantly claimed Summit’s eighth British title.

The competitors participated in a 12-week training camp in the lead up to the competition, including strength and conditioning programmes, nutritional advice, focussed training and individual coaching sessions to elevate their performances.

A big thanks go to the coaching team for their hard work and for those who travelled to corner the competitors over the weekend.

Summit Grappling Academy also wishes to thank Hartford Homes for its continued support and sponsorship, for which the club and competitors are incredibly grateful.