Bahrain’s Pedro De Jesus caps AYG jiu-jitsu run with bronze

TDT | Manama

Email : hussainm@newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s jiu-jitsu prodigy Pedro Bisi De Jesus capped an impressive campaign at the Asian Youth Games with a bronze medal in the boys’ under-85kg division yesterday at Exhibition World Bahrain. The 17-year-old standout from sealed his place on the podium with a composed 8-0 win over Qatar’s Saoud Al Kathiri in the bronze medal bout, underlining his growing reputation among Asia’s elite young grapplers.

De Jesus began his day in blistering form, submitting Kyrgyzstan’s Baigazy Bagyshbekov 50-0 in the round of 16. He then fell in a tense quarterfinal to eventual gold medallist Park Keonho of Korea, before storming back through the repechage with another 50-0 rout of Kuwait’s Abdulaziz Al Buraiki to earn a shot at bronze.

In the medal match, De Jesus dominated from start to finish, controlling every exchange and scoring through sharp transitions and positional control to close out the 8-0 win against Al Kathiri.

“It feels amazing to win a medal for Bahrain, especially at home,” said De Jesus afterward. “The competition level was high, but my coaches and teammates prepared me well. This medal is for them and everyone supporting jiu-jitsu in Bahrain.”

Born in Brazil and representing Bahrain, De Jesus is already the 2025 European IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Champion and currently ranked number one on Bahrain’s AJP Tour youth blue-belt standings. His latest podium finish adds to a growing list of international successes that continue to elevate Bahrain’s status as a Gulf powerhouse in jiu-jitsu.

Korea’s Park Keonho captured the gold, Kazakhstan’s Muslim Arsamakov took silver, while De Jesus shared the bronze with Saudi Arabia’s Adam Fernani.