The IBJJF Curitiba Spring Open 2023 took place across the weekend of October 7th and 8th, 2023 and some of the best grapplers from all around Brazil competed in the event. Alex Sodre put in a great performance in the gi on the first day, as the Nova Uniao representative won the lightweight division despite having to get past some stiff competition. He wasn’t the only one to battle through a tough division to stand on top of the podium either, as the medium-heavyweight division was won by Dream Art black belt Lucas Gualberto.
Harryson Pereira managed to win a gold medal from the super-heavyweight division while Anderson Kauan had to settle for a bronze medal instead. Kauan returned later on to try his hand in the absolute division though, and he managed to do one better and earn a silver medal there. In the end it was Hygor Brito who beat him in the final of the absolute division, shortly after he stood on top of the podium at heavyweight. Kauan’s teammate Gabrieli Pessanha ended up putting in the most impressive performance in the women’s divisions, as she walked away with the gold medal in the absolute division by beating Amanda Magda in the final.
There were less competitors in the no gi divisions on the second day of course, as a lot of the academies in Brazil will focus on gi competition exclusively. It was Leonardo Goncalves who won the absolute division on the second day, although he couldn’t get a match in his regular weight class at super-heavyweight and ended up taking home a default gold medal from there. There was plenty of action on display and some slick submissions in each of the divisions at the IBJJF Curitiba Spring Open 2023, including both the masters and colored belt brackets on both days.
