Raworth's Kaelyn Liddell may only be 14 and weigh just 46kg, but that didn't stop her from claiming her second world youth jiu jitsu crown ahead of older and heavier opponents. Liddell claimed her first world title at last year's Abu Dhabi World Youth Jiu Jitsu championship, and this month reclaimed her title as the World Youth Champion. Liddell, who competed in the 48 kilos, teen division for yellow belts said she had two opponents from Abu Dhabi and one opponent from Kazakhstan. Against her opponent from Kazakhstan, Liddell said she ended up winning by about four points but it was a stressful match. "She was much bigger than me, she was quite tall and very good," she said. "I was totally expecting to be the biggest but I was the smallest in my division." Liddell said she was nervous when she saw all of her opponents but also felt excited to compete. To get into zone, Liddell said she listens to music. "While I'm listening to music, I go over my plan in my head and think about all the scenarios," she said. Liddell had a total of three matches, which is a process of elimination and includes a quarter final, semi final and a final. She won one match by submission and two by points. "My final was quite tough, but I was super happy when I secured the win," she said. "I could hear the crowd cheering so I was waiting until the clock hit zero so I could slap the mat to celebrate." Liddell's dad Josh who attended the international championships said there was a lot of relief when Kaelyn won her final match. "Kaelyn got herself into a pretty bad position at one stage and it was looking pretty ordinary but she ended up getting herself out," he said. "It could have went either way, but super happy that she came out on top." "I knew I had to get out of that position and so I got out of it and swept to the top and I was winning," Liddell said. Gracie Barra Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Hunter Valley founders Gene DeCrewis and Karen DeCrewis said they're super proud of all that Liddell has achieved so far at such a young age. "We were so happy that she was able to go back over there again and represent the team and defend her title," Karen said. "Gene gets very nervous and he paces back and forth while watching Kaelyn compete." Gene felt very relieved when he found out Liddell had defended her title for a second year in a row, but said he wasn't surprised. Liddell was about eight when she joined Gracie Barra Hunter Valley and said she's been there since the start and hasn't wanted to leave. Earlier this year, Liddell also won gold and claimed the title of Pan Kids champion in her division. Her next goal is to get titles in all Australian states, Liddell is already a state champion in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT. "I just have Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory left," she said. In other news:
