If it wasn’t for Jiu Jitsu, Cst. Tony Chin says he probably would be dead today.
“I used to be extremely overweight, depressed, about 12 years ago,” he says, while talking about his journey in the sport over the last 10 years.
Between Sept. 1 and 3rd, in Las Vegas, Tony once again won a world championship at the 2022 World Master IBJJF Jiu Jitsu Championship, ranking first in brown belt in the Ultra Heavy Weight Division. He also placed first in the World IBJJF Jiu Jitsu No-Gi Championship in December 2018 in his weight class.
In our interview about his recent win, Tony expressed deep gratitude to a colleague and now best friend.
“If it wasn’t for him, I’d be somewhere else now. He volunteered his time to teach me and gave me my start in Jiu Jitsu which I’m very grateful for. We still train together,” he says.
Tony has served with EPS for 18 years and also credits and thanks other members at EPS who have supported him in the sport and who have trained with him. Because of Covid restrictions and not being able to compete for two years, Tony didn’t think he would make it to the Worlds again.
“Competing at a higher level is a lot harder on my body now,” he says.
Aside from the physical fitness benefits of the sport, the mental health aspect can be even more impactful for a person, says Tony.
“You really have to put all of your mind into it, and that’s the part that helps me cope with life. After I’m done, I have a sense of relief because I didn’t have to think about other stuff. And if you don’t focus completely on what you’re doing, you’re probably going to get hurt.”
Although Tony plans to compete again, he says his focus now is to teach others as a way of giving back.
“I owe a lot to the sport. I want to teach younger people now.”