By Ibrahim Karim Bangura (Tanko)

Hindolo Paul Komeh has won a silver medal at the Miami Fall International Open in the United States of America.

The talented martial artist, Komeh, received a noteworthy achievement at the recent Miami Fall International Open IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship held on November 4th and 5th this year.

Komeh, who is lovingly called Hindostine, earned a remarkable silver medal in the men’s Ultra Heavyweight open division of this prestigious competition.

“Winning the sliver was not the plan. Winning the gold was the deal, but after winning about 4 gold medals in my weight division as a super heavy champion; I wanted to challenge myself by going up to ultra-heavy weight open division”, he believed.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a popular martial art that involves ground-based grappling techniques that allow for controlling and submitting your opponents.

This combat sport is designed in such a way that emphasizes the importance of skill and technique over just physical strength, which means that, people of all ages and genders can participate.

Hindolo’s interest in BJJ developed over time because of his busy lifestyle in America, where he couldn’t devote enough time to rugby practice or hit the gym.

It was through BJJ that he discovered a new passion and learned about its numerous benefits, including incredible self-defence skills, physical fitness, stress relief, and personal growth.

“Jiu-Jitsu was not my thing, I do play rugby and do powerlifting, but when I came to the US, due to the kind of job that I’m doing I was too busy and I didn’t have time to hit the gym nor to go to the field to train Rugby as my first choice sport,” he said.

“So I decided to try something new, with the little time that I had, and chose jiu-jitsu because the school was next door to me. So I started it and now I’m in love with it”.

The focused on martial artist has set his sights on the upcoming championship in December where his optimisms, to emerge victorious and win the coveted gold medal in his newly assigned division, is high.

Apart from providing a platform for personal growth and achievement, Jiu-Jitsu, has the added benefit of playing a pivotal role in shaping children into well-rounded individuals.

“At the moment, I’m learning; more so I am able to get better and get promoted to belt level so I can be in the capacity to train others who want to try it and for those who are in it so we can share knowledge together,” Komeh talked with hope.

Children who participate in the sport are more likely to confront and overcome modern-day challenges such as bullying, social isolation, anxiety, and depression, according to research.