Road to Double Gold: Pessanha Becomes First Woman With All Subs At Worlds
Road to Double Gold: Pessanha Becomes First Woman With All Subs At Worlds
See how Gabreila Pessanha of Infight submitted her way to double gold at the 2023 World Championships, the first woman to ever accomplish the feat.
At the 2023 IBJJF World Championships, Gabriela Pessanha of Infight JJ cemented herself as the greatest women's black belt in the world with a double gold, history-making performance. With five fights, five wins, and five submissions, Gabi became the first woman to both win three straight double golds and to submit her way through both brackets at the black belt level.
Saturday: Absolute Dominance
Match 1 - Absolute Quarterfinal vs Fernanda Cristo
Match 2 - Absolute Semifinal vs Melissa Cueto
Match 3 - Super-Heavyweight Semifinal vs. Amanda Magda
Sunday: History Made
Match 4 - Super-Heavyweight Final vs. Mayara Custodio
It is no exaggeration to call Gabi's run at Worlds the best performance, from a statistical perspective, ever. No woman has ever accomplished what she has, and she is still young in her black belt career. Which black belts can give Pessanha a serious run? One interesting contender that will no doubt get her chance is Giovanna Jara, the elite competitor who was recently promoted to black belt.
For now though, Pessanha stands alone on top of the mountain with her third-straight double gold performance - a first in the women's divisions. There's no telling just how far the current queen of the mats will push her records, and all eyes now turn to the 2024 Worlds for Pessanha to see her next Worlds run.