Fighters from Riverina Martial Arts continue to stick it to their city rivals after another stellar showing from the group.
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This time around it was the Brazilian jiu jitsu (BJJ) fighters who had the chance to test themselves at the 2016 Victorian Jiu Jitsu State Championship in Melbourne on the weekend.
The group of 11 fighters returned with 13 medals – five of them being gold.
None performed better than coach Peter Moraschi who claimed two gold medals at the championship – one in the gi event and the other in the no gi event.
Moraschi said taking out the gold was about much more than the end result.
“It’s nice to say I got a gold but that’s not what it’s about,” Moraschi said.
“It’s about the hours and hours that we put in behind the scenes.
“Every person that fought had to put so much hard work into their preparation that no one sees.
“That’s a good thing about jiu jitsu, its more about the journey, week in week out having to pick yourself up.
Like any good coach, Moraschi would rather talk about his students, rather than himself.
The BJJ mentor said “everyone fought amazingly” but saved special praise for a few of the fighters.
“Bo Smith – he got two thirds – and fought an accomplished jiu jitsu practitioner from Melbourne who absolutely destroyed everyone else,” Moraschi said.
“But when we came up against Bo, even the referees stopped and said what a high quality match it was.
“Steve Zambon showed an amazing amount of technique in his fights.
“Sarah Zambon – the youngest of us – fought against a couple of girls who represented Australia. That was a daunting task and she went really well.
“And the guys that didn’t medal, they were just unlucky in their fights.”
Moraschi said all the fighters learnt something at the titles.
“It was still a really, really big eye opener for everyone,” Moraschi said.
“The level of intensity that the competitors bring to a tournament like that is incredible to see.”
RESULTS: Peter Moraschi; two golds, Elizabeth Heffer; gold, silver, Steve Zambon; gold, silver, Luke Wright; gold, Bo Smith; three silvers, Mellisa Sergi; silver, James Rossetto; silver, Sarah Zambon; bronze. PICTURED (not in order): Elizabeth Heffer, Steve Zambon, Thomas Zambon, Sarah Zambon, Luke Wright, James Rossetto, Mellisa Sergi, Bo Smith, Francie Sanna, Matthew Heffer and Peter Moraschi.
