Golden Steele Steals Six Medals at The Arnold Classic in Ohio

March 7, 2012 9:18 am

Justin Steele in front of Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio with his triple gold - Submitted Photo

Chatham’s all star jiu jitsu player Justin Steele of Gracie Barra Chatham started off his 2012 in fine fashion last weekend as he competed in the prestigious Arnold Classic grappling competition in Ohio. The Arnold Classic is sanctioned by ADCC (Abu Dhabi Combat Championships) and is one of the most highly regarded competitions in the world.

Steele was not intimidated at all and his accompishments and results are staggering. He competed in six different divisions and took home medals in each one. Steele won two gold’s and one silver in the gi portion of the competition and won three gold medals in the no-gi grappping competiton. It is an unheard of amount of medals bt Steele should be proud of a lot more than the hardware of the results. He competed in nearly 20 grappling matches in a four day competition and he came out on top in all except for one. It is a true testament to his hard work, conditioning and focus.

Any elite athlete is always looking to challenge himself against the best and Steele got a glimpse of exactly where his skills stand at the Arnold. He came up against world no-gi blue belt bronze medalist Brian Rafat during the tournament and won. He also defeated a grappling champion from Iceland to prove that grapplers from the little mecca of Chatham Kent can be world class if they have the skill, focus and work ethic of Justin Steele.

“The experience was great. I trained hard for it so it was really rewarding to walk away with six medals. I learned that hard work is the most important thing if you want to win.” Steele told CKSN.ca owner and president Ian Kennedy following his weekend.

Wise words from an elite athlete. Not only wise in grappling but in life. Hard work is the only common denominator in getting you to where you want to go.

Next up for Justin and the team at Thomas Armstrong’s Gracie Barra Chatham is the World Jiu Jitsu Championships (IBJFF) in June at California State University. It is a four day event and will host some of the best amatuer jiu jitsu competitors in the world. The Gracie Barra Team is looking for team sponsors for that competiton.

Please contact Thomas Armstrong at Gracie Barra Chatham.