Atharva Deshmukh, Ravi Bharathi and Monika Ghag clinch gold medals in their respective categories in the national-level submission grappling tournament 'Strangle Open' which was held at Rebel Jiu Jitsu & MMA in Gurgaon recently.
The tournament was divided into three categories: 66kg and -77kg for men and an open division for women.
In the 66kg division, Atharva from AKA Manderm, Goa, bagged gold while Ravi from Institute of Jiu Jitsu, Bangalore was crowned 77kg champion. In the women’s division, after a thrilling finale, Monika Ghag from Home of Warriors, Maharashtra took home the gold medal. The athletes brought their best game to win a cash prize of Rs 25,000 in each category, a first in the Indian grappling history.
“Strangle Open is an initiative to support the burgeoning submission grappling talent in the country. We want to make sure that we provide the best platform to these amateur athletes to showcase their talents and hone their skills. As mixed martial arts is making waves around the world, it is our vision to ensure our home-grown athletes get the right platform and encouragement to represent themselves and the country in due time,” said Rajiv Khati, founder and CEO of TashTam Events, under which Strangle is a brand.
Strangle Open is set to organize four regional tournaments in 2022 in different cities and a national open in March 2023.
