On the golden trail

GOLDEN girl Esraa Janahi aims to notch another win under her belt as she prepares to take on top fighters from around the globe in Abu Dhabi next year.

The 32-year-old white belt first got hooked on the combat sport in April when she wanted to try her hand at something new. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) promotes the concept that a smaller, weaker person can successfully defend against a bigger, stronger, heavier assailant by using proper technique, leverage, and most notably, taking the fight to the ground, before applying a joint-lock and choke holds to defeat the opponent.

BJJ training can be used for sport grappling tournaments as well as in some self-defense situations. Janahi, who lives in Adliya, said: “I love getting a feel for new sports and I was always intrigued by Jiu-Jitsu. “However, what sold it to me was the fact that it can be used as self-defence for women. “I can now say I can defend myself if someone ever tried to jump me and it has boosted my confidence. I find this sport exhilarating and believe more women should practice it. I’m totally addicted to it.”

The fitness fanatic started training under the tutelage of grappling and fighting experts Reza Monfaradi, owner and head coach of Reza’s Martial Arts Centre and head of Alliance BJJ Bahrain, Seena Monfaradi, Ali Seena Monfaradi, Abdulla Seena Monfaradi and Mohammed Isa.

Within eight months of fastpaced drills at Alliance BJJ at Reza’s Martial Arts Centre in Barbar, Janahi turned into a lean, mean martial arts machine, securing first place at the Bahrain National Pro Jiu-Jitsu Championship and making her coaches proud. Ali Seena Monfaradi, 23, also took home gold in the brown belt category during the Open Brazilian Championship and was the first Bahraini to win gold at the World Championship in Long Beach, California, He said: “We prepared Esraa well for the Bahrain National Pro and she performed as we expected. She was not lucky, nor did her win surprise me. Her hard work translated into the result we see today.”

Fired up about her momentous achievement, Janahi is hitting the centre six-times-a-week to ensure that victory is hers at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour staged in Abu Dhabi on January 14.

The Grand Slam is deemed by athletes for being the most prestigious Jiu-Jitsu championship series in the world and is held in five host cities including Los Angeles, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, London and Abu Dhabi.

It is open to all nationalities and the medalists will be listed in the Jiu-Jitsu world rankings with more than BD23,000,000 ($600,000,00) worth of cash prizes awarded for the top athletes of each division. Monfaradi added: “It is a high level competition and will be Esraa’s greatest challenge yet. I believe that she has the potential to do well.

This will be challenging and I believe that given proper mental and physical preparation, of course she can win.” While Janahi’s biggest strength is her power, she is training hard to cut her weight in order to be more agile and more explosive on the matt. She is currently competing in the 90kg category and her goal is to participate in the 70kg category by April.

Janahi said: “I’m pretty strong and that’s how I won my first competition. I have been lifting weights for many years and I have developed great physical strength which my coaches have been helping me channel correctly and more efficiently. “I am thankful to my coaches for that. They are more like my brothers and uncles that have been encouraging me along the way. There are only a handful of Bahraini female competitors so they have been really inspirational to me. I’m being trained by World Champs and I’m proud of it. “Although I am nervous about this competition, I’m excited about it too. During my first championship I was terrified because I didn’t know what to expect. It was a whole new experience for me. Drilling on a mat at the centre is totally different than competing in a real fight. Your adrenaline is on high, your nerves are on full alert and all eyes are on you. I’m a very competitive person by nature and I aim to win… no matter the sport or the competition. I know with the guidance of my coaches and the support of my loving husband Mazin Saleh, I can do it!”