Mitchell wins gold in Påtgon Jiu-Jitsu tourney
With just two years of jiu-jitsu experience under his belt, rising star Gabe Mitchell took the gold medal home in the Absolute (161 lb-200 lb) weight class of the Påtgon (Kids) Jiu-Jitsu Fundraising Tournament held at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium last Saturday.
In a single-elimination format, the 13-year-old racked up the most points in the finals against a slightly burlier Elijah Pangelinan who settled for silver. The two grappled for about five minutes as they tried to get the other to submit.
However, both were evenly matched as Mitchell would pin down Pangelinan, but Pangelinan would snake out of it and reverse the advantage. In the end, Mitchell upped his guard and had more control and takedowns and won via points scored.
Third place in the division went to Hudson Igisomar after Mitchell defeated him to advance to the finals. Pangelinan defeated his brother, Sam, in the semis to get the last finals slot against Mitchell.
Mitchell, an 8th grade student at Grace Christian Academy, said that he felt proud of himself and happy for winning gold.
He said the finals was a tough matchup as Pangelinan was “pretty heavy, so it was hard to carry him and push him out of the way. My strategy was to get the takedown at first and as soon as I got the takedown, I decided to just keep guard and win by points.”
Mitchell added that Pangelinan was his toughest opponent out of his two matches “because he really used his weight as an advantage to put more weight on me. But in the end, I was able to overcome it.”
Mitchell said that jiu-jitsu is a fun and entertaining sport and thanked his coach, Justis “Cuki” Alvarez for teaching him all the strategies he’s learned. He also thanked his supporters who cheered him on during his matches.
In the Patgon (Kids) Jiu-Jitsu Tournament Spring 2023 last April 22 at the University of Guam, Mitchell won silver in the No-Gi category and bronze in the Gi category.
Results of the other weight classes will be posted in the next issues of Saipan Tribune.
Gabriel Mitchell, on mat, grapples Elijah Pangelinan during the finals match of the Absolute weight class in the Påtgon (Kids) Jiu-Jitsu Fundraising Tournament at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium last Saturday.
-LEIGH GASES
Gabriel Mitchell, center, gold medalist of the Absolute weight class in the Påtgon (Kids) Jiu-Jitsu Fundraising Tournament, is joined on the podium by second place Elijah Pangelinan and third place Hudson Igisomar at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium last Saturday.
-LEIGH GASES
