Clovis man medals in jiu jitsu competition

AUSTIN, Texas — Rudy Ledezma of Clovis captured three divisions over the weekend in the Austin Open Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Ledezma, who celebrated his 40th birthday on Monday, won two matches to take first place out of five contestants on Saturday in the Gi Division, in which competitors don traditional martial arts garb. He then beat his only competition on Sunday in the Nogi Division, where competitors wear regular clothing.

He also earned the first-place medal in the Open Weight Division, where he was the only one to sign up.

Ledezma competed in the Master II Division, for ages 36-40. Matches in that classification go five minutes.

“I’ve been doing this for 12 years now,” Ledezma said. “Basically, what it is is grappling. You can win on points or by submission.”

His wife, Liz, and two of their children also participate in the sport and were in Austin for last weekend’s event.

Ledezma said he trains under Daniel Casares, a black belt in the sport, at Silverback Jiu-Jitsu, a martial arts club in Clovis. Jiu-Jitsu is open to individuals age 4 and above, and while most use the sport for training, he estimated the group has “10 or 15” people who go out and compete.

Ledezma said he plans to enter the Phoenix Open in a couple of weeks, as well as the World Masters from Sept. 1-3 in Las Vegas, Nevada.