Hayley Curtis has made history by winning double gold at the IBJJF European Championships held in Rome this week.
Curtis is the first Manx athlete ever to win two European gold medals under the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) banner.
Competing in the Featherweight division, Curtis who is one of the Senior Coaches at the Isle of Man’s Summit Grappling Academy, secured her first gold medal after defeating French athlete Vanessa Petitfils on points in the final.
This was her first European title after previously earning multiple silver and bronze medals since 2022.
European Championships
As a division champion, Curtis qualified for the Absolute (Open Weight) category, where she faced the best athletes from heavier divisions.
In the semi-final, she overcame French lightweight Angélique Puaud, who had earlier defeated Middleweight Champion Petra Kokova of the Czech Republic.
Curtis controlled the match from start to finish, using heavy top pressure and positional dominance to win cleanly on points and advance to the final.
Double Gold
In the Open Weight final, Curtis faced Hend Rezk of Kuwait — the reigning Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro Champion and 2025 IBJJF Lightweight European Champion. Confident after back-to-back victories, Curtis imposed her trademark pressure-based game, taking her opponent down and passing to dominant positions to build a commanding lead.
Unable to continue under Curtis’s control, Rezk required medical attention, sealing Curtis’s victory and earning her the title of “Champion of Champions.”
Her coach at Summit Grappling Academy, Conrad Roberts, said: “This is an incredible, ground-breaking achievement for Hayley, who has battled through a number of major injuries over the past year.
“To come back and win double gold at the European Championships is truly remarkable. We at Summit are incredibly proud and can’t wait to see what’s next for the Island’s leading Jiu-Jitsu competitor.
“Myself, Hayley and Summit would like to thank our lead sponsor Hartford Homes for continuing to support us.”
