On The Up: Rotorua jiu-jitsu team brings home 30 medals from Japan world championships

Graeme Marukore competing at his black belt final in Japan. Photo / Supplied

A Rotorua martial arts club has returned home from Japan with 30 medals and five world titles.

Fresh Jiu-Jitsu Rotorua sent a 20-strong team of 11 children, two teens and seven adults to Chiba for the Jiu-Jitsu World Championships - a four-day tournament at the end of September.

The youngest competitor was 6 and the oldest was 61.

Club co-owner Melody Marukore said the competition gave the team an unforgettable taste of the international stage and showed the younger members what dedication could achieve.

She watched as athletes’ confidence and self-belief grew.

It was “truly once in a lifetime”, Marukore said.

It was the club’s first time competing at the world championships and the team’s 30-medal haul included five golds, eight silvers and 17 bronzes.

Competitors faced fierce divisions, with some of the younger boys battling through brackets of more than 30 opponents.

Adults also entered “absolute” divisions - open-weight contests that often pitted them against much heavier fighters - which helped boost the club’s medal count.

The team had two black belts, including Fresh Jiu Jitsu co-owner and Marukore’s husband, Graeme, and Arona Marsters, both coaches and professors - a title given to black belt instructors - in the sport.

The way the team rallied around each other throughout the tournament was “heart-warming”, Marukore said.

Some of the youngest members stayed late into the evening to cheer on their adult teammates, while parents juggling multiple competitors across mats in the big Chiba arena were supported.

“Everyone just stepped up. It felt like one big whānau.”

Fresh Jiu-Jitsu Rotorua’s adult team on the podium in Japan. Graeme Marukore (left) Clint Paenga, Tere Marsters, Arona Marsters, Taiawhio Hohua, Otene Melrose and Mick McLeod. Photo / Supplied

Between matches, the group explored Japanese culture, visiting Disneyland, the Kodokan Judo Museum and a sumo wrestling event.

Rotorua local Keith Roberts spoke with the team before they left, helping them understand Japanese traditions and etiquette to show respect while overseas.

The trip came after months of community fundraising.

Marukore said the club raised $20,000 through raffles, quiz nights, garage sales and sausage sizzles, with major backing from One Foundation, Edwardsons Mechanical, Annemijn Mear Realty of Tremains, and Carling Architects.

Marukore said the community support made the journey possible and motivated the team to perform at their best.

“Rotorua really got behind us … We wanted to bring home results that reflected that support."

The club’s success continued within a week of returning home.

At the Hamilton Open at the start of October, Fresh Jiu-Jitsu placed second overall.

Marukore said the experience in Japan had inspired members to aim higher and dream bigger.

She said many were already talking about returning to the world stage and this time, they will know exactly what it takes to win.

Annabel Reid is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, based in Rotorua. Originally from Hawke’s Bay, she has a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Canterbury.