Sabah lass Cassandra wins gold at Abu Dhabi world jiu-jitsu championship

Brazilian Jiu-jitsu exponent Cassandra J. Poyong made the country proud by becoming the first Malaysian female to win a gold medal in the Abu Dhabi World Masters Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2019.

The 30-year-old Sabahan lass defeated two other contestants, Marianna Jurkiewicz from Poland and Jelsilene Monteiro from Brazil in the women's under 55kg category.

Commenting on her victory, Poyong who trains at Monarchy MMA gym in Kuala Lumpur said her win was no doubt a team effort.

"It was a team effort, no doubt. From the gruelling training to the crazy weight cuts and insane bath salt soak (this was super crazy) somehow I knew everyone was right behind me, endlessly supporting my decisions and my every move," she wrote on her Instagram post recently.

Throughout her career in BJJ, Poyong who hails from Kota Kinabalu, had also won two golds in this year's IBJJF Manila Open, and various gold medals in Malaysia's very own Copa da Malasia jiu-jitsu tournament.

Running from 20-26 April, the Abu Dhabi World Masters Jiu-Jitsu Championship drew thousands of athletes from around the world, competing for the championship title.

The world stage tournament is regarded as the largest and most important event on the global jiu-jitsu calendar.

This year’s edition has attracted even more of the top champion competitors from around the globe than ever before.