ADGS Istanbul: Amateurs and Youths keep the action going on the second day

June 28, 2025

The Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour Istanbul continues to bring memorable battles to the Ayhan Şahenk Spor Salonu. After the Master category kicked off the competition yesterday, the Amateur and Youth categories kept the ball rolling this Saturday, June 28th, and brought talented athletes of all ages to test themselves and fight for the coveted ADGS medal.

Starting with the Amateurs, the blue belt and Kazakhstan Team representative Qanat Kenes made a strong impression with his campaign in the 120kg division. With all competitors in the bracket coming from different nationalities, Qanat made his first duel in the semifinal and very quickly disposed of the Emirati Saeed Almaskari, locking a winning submission with less than one minute on the clock. His next and last opponent was the Syrian Rashed Alhimany, who managed to hold on for a little longer but was ultimately unable to contain his foe, with Qanat scoring 3-0 before getting the three taps around the two-minute mark to become the champion.

Meanwhile, on the women's side, the English blue belt Jessica Goodchild, from Checkmat International, put on two dominating displays on her way to the 62kg division gold medal. First, she went up against the local Sonay Daban in the semifinal, quickly taking the lead on the scoreboard and landing point after point without ever being scored against to end the bout at a whopping 16-0. Then, in the final match, Jessica went up against the Bulgarian Natalia Gancheva in another great battle, quickly putting four points on the scoreboard before locking a submission with a little over one minute on the clock to climb the podium.

Moving over to the Youths, the Emirati blue belt Saif Essa Alblooshi entered a three-man bracket in the 50kg division and brought the gold medal to the Al Jazira Jiu-Jitsu Club with impressive performances. For his first match, Saif made short work of the Algerian Louai Djebiri, going full-throttle from the beginning to overwhelm and submit his opponent with less than 30 seconds on the clock. Following that, Saif returned to the mats for the final round, going up against his compatriot and teammate Ahmed Alrashdi in a bout that started off pretty balanced as the contenders tied the score at 2-2. Around the two-minute mark, however, Saif saw his chance and didn't think twice, launching a submission attack and getting the three taps to take the title.

Another highlight coming from the Youth side was Aleksandra Petukhova, a Russian blue belt representing Universal Jiu Jitsu who conquered the top of the podium in the 57kg division. With three opponents standing between herself and the title, Aleksandra got her two first victories via submission, beating the Bosnian Ajla Saracevic around the one-minute mark and then advancing to the final after defeating the Greek Foteini Dimaki with less than 30 seconds on the clock. The gold round, however, proved to be a bigger challenge as Aleksandra went up against the Kazakh Aidana Suleiman in a duel that took up the entirety of the regulated time and saw both sides scoring repeatedly. At the end of it all, Aleksandra became the champion with a 6-3 score.

With two days down and one to go, the ADGS Istanbul now prepares to receive the aces of the Professional category for its grand finale this Sunday, June 29th. Watch all the action live and exclusively on the TX7.com platform, and be sure to follow @ajptour on social media to keep up-to-date on all things ADGS.