Return to action after surgery leads to podiums
Raphael Veras returned to action in style with a pair of silver medals in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu competitions.
The head of the Veras Academy Karate Association and coach to many young champions had not competed for four years due to three knee operations, but returned to BJJ training last May with sons Liam, Luan and Luca at the London Shootfighters East gym.
And it paid off earlier this month as he took part in her first-ever competition at Crystal Palace, the London Winter Open, and won silver.
Veras followed that up with another silver at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam event as part of the World Tour Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Championships.
He beat two English rivals in the under-77kg category, as well as Spanish and Portuguese opponents, to reach the final where he was edged out by a fighter from Poland.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 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, and then applying joint-locks and chokeholds to defeat the opponent.
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