Venla Luukkonen
Venla Luukkonen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | Venla Orvokki Luukkonen[1] 2 March 1984[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | Finnish | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Style | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Team | Hilti BJJ Jyvaskyla | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Trainer | Pedro Duarte | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Venla Luukkonen (born 2 March 1984) is a Finnish grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner. In 2014, she became the first Finnish female black belt and the first Finn to win the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championship.[3] Since 2014, in addition to winning other major tournaments, Luukkonen reached the world championship final three more times, winning gold again in 2018.
Career[]
Venla Orvokki Luukkonen was born on 2 March 1984 in Espoo, Finland,[1] when she was one year old her family moved to Kuopio in Northern Savonia. After secondary school she started training in Capoiera followed by Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in 2008 at Jyväskylän Fight Club (Internationally known as Hilti BJJ Jyväskylä) while studying for a PhD in education. She received her blue belt in 2009 and won silver the following year at the 2010 IBJJF World Championship. After becoming a purple belt she won bronze at the 2011 World Championship followed by silver in 2012 as well as bronze at the 2012 European Championship. Luukkonen received her brown belt in 2012 becoming world champion for the firs time in 2013. In 2014 she received double gold by winning in the heavy and the absolute divisions at the European Championship, the same year she received her black belt from former World Champion Pedro Duarte, becoming the first Finnish female black belt.[2]
In 2014 she won the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, the first Finnish native to do so at black belt level.[2] In 2015 Luukkonen won gold at the European No-Gi Championship in two categories and bronze at the World Championship. In 2016 and 2017 she reached the World Championship final winning silver both years before becoming world champion for the second time in 2018. In addition to national tournaments like the Swedish Open that she won in 2018,[4] Luukkonen has been a European championship medallist for six consecutive years since 2015. Luukkonen trains in both Finland and Sweden, she represents Hilti Akademi Nord, where she is one of the head instructors.[5] In January 2022 Luukkonen won gold at the ADCC Sweden Tournament 8 that took place in Eskilstuna, Sweden.[6]
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitive summary[]
Main Achievements at black belt level:[2]
- 2 x IBJJF World Champion (2018[7]—2014[8])
- 2 x IBJJF European Champion NoGi (2015 Weight and Absolute[9])
- 2nd Place IBJJF European Championship (2015[9]—2016[10]—2017[11]—2018[12])
- 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship (2019[13]—2017[14]—2016[15])
- 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship (2015[16])
- 3rd Place IBJJF European Championship (2020[17]—2019[18])
Main Achievements (Coloured Belts):[2]
- IBJJF World Champion (2013 brown)
- 3 x IBJJF European Champion (2014 weight and absolute brown) (2012 purple)
- 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship (2012 purple, 2010 Blue)
- 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship (2011 purple)
Instructor lineage[]
Carlson Gracie > Murilo Bustamante > Pedro Duarte > Venla Luukkonen[2]
References[]
- ^ a b "Venla Luukkonen - Fighter Page". Tapology. 2 March 1984.
- ^ a b c d e f "Venla Luukkonen". BJJ Heroes. 21 July 2015.
- ^ "Jiujitsu World Champion: I like to sleep on the mat". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 12 June 2014.
- ^ "Results, Swedish Open BJJ 2018". Smoothcomp. 11 February 2022.
- ^ "Venla Luukkonen - Fighter profile". Smoothcomp. 1 February 2022.
- ^ "World IBJJF Jiu-jitsu Championship 2018". International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation.
- ^ "World IBJJF Jiu-jitsu Championship 2014". International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation.
- ^ a b "European IBJJF Jiu-jitsu Championship 2015". International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation.
- ^ "European IBJJF Jiu-jitsu Championship 2016". International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation.
- ^ "European IBJJF Jiu-jitsu Championship 2017". International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation.
- ^ "European IBJJF Jiu-jitsu Championship 2018". International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation.
- ^ "World IBJJF Jiu-jitsu Championship 2019". International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation.
- ^ "World IBJJF Jiu-jitsu Championship 2017". International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation.
- ^ "World IBJJF Jiu-jitsu Championship 2016". International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation.
- ^ "World IBJJF Jiu-jitsu Championship 2015". International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation.
- ^ "European IBJJF Jiu-jitsu Championship 2020". International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation.
- ^ "European IBJJF Jiu-jitsu Championship 2019". International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation.
- Finnish practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu
- Living people
- 1984 births
- People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu
- World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship medalists
- World No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship medalists
- Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners
- LGBT Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners