JERSEY athletes Matt Norris and Russell Allchin have grappled with some of the world’s best at the European Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Championships in Portugal.

Purple belt Norris picked up a silver medal in the Master Heavyweight division/Masters Absolute division, while Allchin, a blue belt, reached the quarter-finals of the Senior Heavyweight and the Senior Absolute divisions.

Both train with the Gracie Barra Channel Islands squad and have been preparing for this competition with intensive cardiovascular and weights training, as well as six sessions of Jiu-jitsu each week.

Allchin said: ‘This year we’re really hitting the competition circuit hard – coming up we have the Bristol Open and after that we go to Brighton. I’ve done a few competitions here and there but the European Championships is certainly the biggest I have attended. The standard was very high – the next step up is the World Championships, so it’s tough competition.’