Talal Raed Aldukhayyil wins top prize in the All Stars BJJ Northern Pro 2024 Jiu-Jitsu 94kg weight category
A University of Central Lancashire medical student has won a gold medal in a national martial arts competition.
Talal Raed Aldukhayyil won the top prize in the All Stars BJJ Northern Pro 2024 Jiu-Jitsu 94kg weight category.
The 23-year-old, who comes from Saudi Arabia but is in his first year of training to be a doctor at the University’s Preston Campus, said: “It was a big national event for the sport and I was really happy to win this competition.
“I prepared for it for a long time, training twice a day every day. The score was 22-0, which I didn’t know until after the fight. It shocked me as it shows how it was such a one-sided fight.”
Talal was introduced to the physically demanding sport by his cousin and he has been involved for more than five years.
He trains for one hour a day at Roger Gracie Academy Preston, a specialist Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym in the city centre, and follows that with 90 minutes of strength and conditioning work in the University’s Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre.
"It was a big national event for the sport and I was really happy to win this competition"
— Year 1 medicine student Talal Aldukhayyil
He commented: “I do jiu jitsu for my wellbeing. It has pushed me to train harder and eat healthier. Some days my training is 20 minutes of technique and 40 minutes of sparring. Other days it’s an entire hour of sparring, with five-minute rounds with a one-minute break.”
Talal, who attended Manarat International School before moving to England, has also made new friends via the sport.
He added: “My teammates are helpful and funny. We enjoy a cup of coffee after our morning classes, which helps start the day in a good mood. As someone who’s not from the UK, I feel lost sometimes and homesick. My teammates are always there to help and sometimes we go out hiking and have social events. This sport has allowed me to meet such nice people and helped me get through difficult times.”
Talal has previously won two silver medals in four Allstars Pro fights.
