Dominyka Obelenyte (born 30 July 1995) is a Lithuanian born,

grappler Grappling, in hand-to-hand combat, describes sports that consist of gripping or seizing the opponent. Grappling is used at close range to gain a physical advantage over an opponent, either by imposing a Grappling position, position or causing ...

and

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

black belt competitor. Obelenyte is a multiple Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion in coloured belt and a four times black belt

world champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

in both her weight class and in the open division accomplished by the age of 20.

Career

Dominyka Obelenyte was born on 30 July 1995 in

Kaunas Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Trakai ...

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

. When Obelenyte was 6 her family moved to the United States. Obelenyte started training Jiu-Jitsu at 9 years old in a

Gracie Humaitá Gracie Humaitá or Academia Gracie de Jiu-Jitsu is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy on Humaitá Street, in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, founded by Helio Gracie. The Academy offers classes in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. History The Academia Gracie wa ...

Affiliate in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

after being bullied in elementary school. After receiving her orange belt she trained under legendary jiu-jitsu pioneer and world champion Emily Kwok in Maryland who then took her to the ''Marcelo Garcia Academy'' in New York. Obelenyte began competing under Marcelo Garcia; as a blue belt Obelenyte became world champion for the first time competing in the adult division at the age of 14. As a purple belt she won the absolute division at age 15 followed by two brown belt world championship titles at ages 17 and 18. She was the first female to receive her black belt under Garcia on 15 January 2015 at the age of 19. As a black belt she won double gold in her weight and in the open class division at the 2016 IBJJF World Championship, the first rookie black belt and the first European to win double gold at that tournament. In 2017 following a shoulder injury, Obelenyte announced that she was taking some time off from competing to focus on her studies at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitive summary

Main Achievements at black belt level: * 4 x IBJJF World Champion (2015, 2016) * 2 x Pan American Champion (2016–2015) * IBJFF European Championship (2015) * 2nd place Pan American Championship (2016) * 3rd place IBJFF European Championship (2015) Main Achievements (Coloured Belts): * 4x IBJJF World Champion (2014 & 2013 brown, 2011 purple, 2010 blue) * 2x Pan American Champion (2014 brown, 2013 purple) * IBJFF European Champion (2012 purple) * 2nd place Pan American Championship (2014 brown, 2013 purple, 2010 blue) * 3rd place IBJJF World NoGi Championship (2010 blue/purple)

Instructor lineage

Helio Gracie Helio may refer to: * Helio AU-24 Stallion * Helio (wireless carrier), a defunct American wireless communications provider (2005–2010); originally a joint venture between SK Telecom and EarthLink, purchased by Virgin Mobile USA in 2008 * He ...

Rolls Gracie Rolls Gracie (; 1951–1982) was a Brazilian martial artist. He was a prominent member of the Gracie family known for their founding of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and considered by some the family's best ever fighter. He was teacher of Rickson Gracie, ...

Romero Cavalcanti Romero Cavalcanti (born October 22, 1952) is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master and the founder of Alliance Jiu Jitsu. He is one of the six men who were promoted to BJJ belt, black belt by Rolls Gracie prior to his fatal 1982 hang gliding accident.

Fabio Gurgel Fabio is a given name descended from Latin ''Fabius'' and very popular in Italy and Latin America (due to Italian migration). Its English equivalent is Fabian. The name is written without an accent in Italian and Spanish, but is usually accented ...

> Marcelo Garcia > Dominyka Obelenyte

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Obelenyte, Dominyka Lithuanian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people 1995 births People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champions (women) World No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship medalists Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners