RIVERSIDE Brazilian jiu jitsu competitor Richard Graham hoped to do well, but not even he expected to walk away from the Machado Australasian Championships as a gold medallist.
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The 31-year-old, competing in the purple belt division, won gold in the 70-76 kilogram division at the titles held at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre.
He also brought home a silver medal in the open weight division.
"I didn't honestly think I would get that far, as it was only my second comp as a purple belt," Graham said this week.
"The last comp I went into I lost every fight, so I really surprised myself and my coach as well.
"I did win a gold medal there in 2010 as a blue belt, but this was as a purple belt, which is of a higher standing."
Graham, who is trained by Paul Butler at Launceston PCYC, said it was a "great feeling" to win gold.
"There were a lot of tough fights and it was very physically demanding, let's put it that way.
"It was a knockout tournament and I think I won five [fights to get the gold], so it wasn't easy.'
As well as successfully competing in the sport, Graham also teaches the next generation, running classes for children at Launceston PCYC each Wednesday night.
