Andrea Cahill, of Legitsu Academy, secured medal delight competing at a world-renowned Brazilian Jiu-jitsu tournament in Manhattan last weekend.Competing in the tournament, organised by Grappling Industries, with more than 80 events held annually all over the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia, Cahill managed to clinch victory in five out of her six matches. Competing in two disciplines, she won a gold medal in submission wrestling and a silver in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu after beating most of her opponents with a submission known as an arm bar. Two of the submissions were notably fast, just 16 and 35 seconds into the respective matches. As the first competitor from the recently established Legitsu Academy, located at the Old Berkeley School, Cahill was proud to be able to represent the Bermudian gym owned by Mikko Trott in front of an international crowd. “It was a great experience and I was proud to bring home some medals,” said Cahill, whose success has come in a relatively short space of time.“I started training with Mikko about a year ago. I knew a little about jiu-jitsu and wanted to give it a go to complement other forms of training I was doing at the time. “Soon after I started with the sport, I realised that jiu-jitsu was a very useful life skill, being a martial art designed to beat a stronger opponent, so I stopped other forms of training and focused solely on jiu-jitsu. “When I first joined as a member at Legitsu Academy, I didn’t realise how lucky I was to train with Mikko. “He has won multiple world titles under the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation and learnt the sport directly from the source at Gracie Humaitá in Rio de Janeiro.“It is the first Gracie Jiu-jitsu academy ever established and some refer to it as the jiu-jitsu headquarters. “Mikko’s masters Royler and Rolker Gracie are the sons of Helio Gracie, the creator and founder of Gracie Jiu-jitsu also known as Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. “I feel that under Mikko’s supervision, I learnt a lot in my first year of training, so I decided to test myself against international competitors in the tournament in New York.”Meanwhile, Trott believes Cahill’s success can act as an inspiration to anyone interested in taking up the sport.“To my knowledge, this is the first gold medal brought home to Bermuda from an international Brazilian Jiu-jitsu tournament by a female competitor,” he said.“I hope that Andrea’s success, being a mother to a seven-year-old child and with a busy full-time job, will inspire others to come and train with us.” For more information regarding the Legitsu Academy and how to join contact Legitsuacademy@yahoo.com or (441) 703-4444