Craig Wicks stands at the IBJJF World Championships in Las Vegas.  (Facebook/ North Wake Martial Arts)

By Nigel Maxwell

Jiu-Jitsu

Birch Hills teacher rolls up first place finish at jiu-jitsu world championships

Sep 1, 2023 | 2:00 PM

A teacher at Birch Hills Public School is officially a world champion.

Craig Wicks finished atop the podium at the recent IBJJF World Championships in Las Vegas.

“I’m a little surprised but super pumped. It’s hard to believe it actually happened,” he told paNOW

Wicks won all four of his matches by submission. He acknowledged that in the days and minutes leading up to the competition, he was feeling extremely nervous.

“When it came time to actually shake hands at the beginning of the match, as soon as we didn’t do that I kind of felt calm and it was just like we do this all the time,” he explained. ‘I felt very calm when we were out there on the mat.”

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Wicks celebrates his victory. (Facebook/ North Wake Martial Arts)

Wicks, who has a brown belt, was competing in a middle-weight category (181.6 lbs). When he’s not helping students and sharing his passion for music, Wicks trains out of North Wake Martial Arts in Prince Albert under Head Instructor Lucian Phillips.

“I for sure want to put a shout-out to Lucian and all my training partners. They are strong, tough guys and they tap me out all the time and they helped me prepare for sure,” he said.

Wicks has been training in jiu-jitsu for just over 12 years and explained the martial art helps him to stay balanced.

“It gives me that release of adrenaline and energy. When I have a hard day I can go in and give 100 per cent on the mat and it feels good.”

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell