A 15-year-old Swindon youngster has struck gold twice at the 2025 England Jiu Jitsu GBJ Nationals in Walsall, bringing home two gold medals and the title of National Champion.
Lawn Manor Academy pupil Victoria only started training at Swindon’s Draco Dojo in 2018 and has since competed at an international level, as well as being part of the GB Youth Team, bringing home a raft of medals and international accolade.
Competing in four matches at the recent GBJ Nationals, Victoria won each fight, resulting in her double gold medals, taking her total career medal tally to 10.
“It’s an unbelievable achievement and I’m so proud of myself and everyone else who competed,” she explained. “The competition was very tough; you could tell everyone really wanted to win.”
The future is exciting for Victoria too. She continued, “I’m currently training towards higher belts and soon I’m going to become an assistant – and then hopefully a Sensei. This year though, we’ve got more competitions planned and maybe a world competition later this summer too.”
“Victoria’s commitment to being at the top of her game at such a young age is truly inspiring,” said Marek Koza, Assistant Headteacher at Lawn Manor Academy. “We are incredibly proud of her continued achievements and her enthusiasm for being the best – she’s a great example to all young people in Swindon.”
Draco Dojo has a well-earned reputation for turning out the region’s top Jiu-Jitsu athletes, with the Dojo’s team bringing home a total of six gold medals, four silver and two bronze.
Sensei Adam Esz of Draco Dojo, commented, “It was an amazing weekend at the British Jiu Jitsu Nationals in Walsall! Huge congratulations to the Draco Dojo team for an outstanding performance. We couldn’t be prouder of every athlete who stepped on the mats — their skill, composure, camaraderie and attitude were second to none.”
The full medal tally for Draco Dojo across Jiu Jitsu and Ne-Waza was:
- Filip, 18 from Chippenham, brought home a Gold and Bronze
- Kacper, 12 from Swindon, brought home a Gold and Silver
- Igor, 12 from Swindon, Gold
- Henry, 17 from Malmesbury, Gold
- Patryk, 15 from Swindon, Silver
- Maciej, 10 from Swindon, Silver
- Mateusz, 12 from Swindon, Bronze
- Sensei Adam Esz, from Swindon, Silver
Lawn Manor Academy is part of the Ascend Learning Trust. For more information, visit www.lawnmanor.org.
