Last week IBJJF announced that Atos holds the number one ranking for Grand Slam tournaments. What does this mean? And how did we achieve it?
The infamous “Grand Slam” refers to the four major tournaments that IBJJF holds every year: Brasileiros, Pan Ams, Europeans, and of course, Worlds. Rankings are determined by the number of points a team accumulates over a three year period. The current year holds the most weight, and each preceding year still holds value, but counts a little less. Achieving the number one spot in the Grand Slam rankings indicates a team’s ability to perform at the highest level internationally. For a team like, Atos, that mean’s that even though we are based in the United States when we show up over seas we pack enough punch to still outplay the competition.
Stand Out Performances
Over the last three years Atos has achieved a top 3 team ranking in every single major tournament, with the exception of 2019 Brasileiros where we ranked in the top 10 for both male and female teams. Notable team performances over the last three years include 2019 Worlds where Atos achieved their first women’s team title. The Atos Ladies took home a hard fought first place team trophy with 6 golds medals, 3 silver, and 9 bronze. And it’s no accident that Atos has taken home first place team trophies at Pans for three consecutive years.
We can’t mention these accomplishments without reviewing some of the incredible athletes that got us there. In 2019 Pan Ams Gustavo Batista and Lucas Barbosa closed out the medium-heavyweight division. Barbosa went on to win gold in the absolute division.
At the 2020 Pan Ams Andy Murasaki stunned the crowd taking home double gold as a brown belt. He submitted 6 of his 7 matches, and won the open class final against the super heavyweight champ 12-2. In the women’s division Luiza Monteiro and Rafaela Guedes stole the show. Each won their weight division, and later closed out the open class awarding Rafaela double gold at her first major tournament just two weeks after receiving her black belt.
What’s next?
While 2020 was definitely an unusual year Atos still showed up whenever there was an opportunity to perform. The IBJJF Grand Slam rankings are testament to Atos’ international dominance and unity. IBJJF has already started announcing the 2021 scene and we are hard at work to make 2021 just as memorable.