Beatriz in purple belt final of the 2009 worlds. Photo: Regis Chen.
Brown belt Beatriz Mesquita (Gracie Humaita) embarks for Lisbon tomorrow, the 28th, in pursuit of a first-off title for her extensive CV.
A thrice world and twice Pan-American Champion, Bia now has her sights set on the European Jiu-Jitsu Championship, to take place from Thursday to Sunday in Lisbon, Portugal.
“I’m going to face the extreme cold of Europe after enjoying the marvelous sun of Saquarema, but it will be for a good cause,” says Bia. “After all, I’m going after a title to beef up my CV. I’ve had great training sessions with Leticia (Ribeiro), who is in Brazil, and I’m dedicating myself to the maximum.
Signed up in the middleweight brown/black belt division, Bia is facing the stiffest category of all, and to take the title (at weight or in the absolute) she’ll need to get past names like Shanti Abelha, Cassuza Fornari, Monica Silva and Ida Hansson.
After the championship, the athlete was called on by Leticia Ribeiro to accompany her in holding seminars in Portugal, France, Germany and Norway, with an expected return date of February 23 – meaning she will miss out on Brazilian carnival.
Keep up with the athlete’s trajectory on her website: www.beatrizmesquita.com.br.