Women’s Jiu-Jitsu saw the same name at the top for an entire season, from the 2025 Worlds to this year’s Brazilian Nationals. Australian India Risby, now representing Atos in San Diego, in the United States, rose to an absurd level at the main competitions. An efficiency that goes far beyond the norm.
Within the IBJJF Grand Slam, India took double gold at more than just one tournament. She repeated the feat flawlessly, winning double gold three times in a row over the whole season. In other words, India was dominant, both in her weight class and in the open class, in three different countries. The first was Portugal, at the Europeans, then the United States, where she went unbeaten at the Pans, before closing her purple belt mission in the home country of the Gentle Art, at the Brazilian Nationals.
Promoted by Sarah Galvão on top of the podium at the Brazilian Nationals, India now begins a campaign with unmistakable potential at brown belt. After all, she did not let a single gold medal slip away at the IBJJF’s biggest events. At Worlds, which starts tomorrow, the 28th, in California, India Risby will debut her new belt at middleweight. She has the track record to be among the division’s favorites. The goal, without a doubt, is to make the most of this new phase, a kind of stepping stone to black belt, with a world title on the shelf.
THE MAT NATION – You closed out your purple belt run with an incredible campaign, including double gold performances at major events. How do you look at that cycle now that it’s over?
INDIA RISBY – Honestly, it’s an incredible feeling, because since I started, very young, I always dreamed of competing on the big stages as a black belt. So being able to achieve this as a purple belt and now move into the brown belt division is super special, because it means I’m on the right path and these are just small steps toward the bigger goal of winning at black belt.
With the support of Professor Galvão, Professor Angelica Galvão and the whole Atos team by my side, I was able to improve a lot, both mentally and physically, and that helped me step on the mat with more confidence and, as a result, perform both in my division and in the purple belt open class.
One moment that stuck with me was when Professor Angelica told me, at this year’s Europeans: “You’ve only been with us for a year and look how far you’ve already come.” That really shows that my results reflected having the right people and the right team guiding me along my journey.
THE MAT NATION – At the Brazilian Nationals, you shared the open class final with your teammate Mia Montesinos, and you decided to close out the bracket. What does that moment say about the bond inside Atos?
INDIA RISBY – We train really hard together every day, so it made total sense to share that win, since we both won gold in our divisions and reached the open class final together.
At Atos, all the girls on the Dream Team push each other every day to improve, and as they say, iron sharpens iron. At the end of the day, all I want is to see my teammates succeed and win, so being able to live that alongside my friend was really cool and special.
THE MAT NATION – After dominating competitions in Portugal and the United States early in the season, did you feel a different kind of pressure arriving at the Brazilian Nationals, especially as one of the athletes to beat?
INDIA RISBY – It was my first time traveling and competing in Brazil and, to be honest, in the week before the competition I wasn’t feeling great mentally, because I put a lot of pressure on myself, thinking I needed to perform.
But I know I train with some of the best girls in the world, so I just needed to trust my preparation and my training, step on the mat with a calm mind and give 100% on the day, and that’s exactly what I did.
THE MAT NATION – Sarah Galvão promoted you to brown belt on the Brazilian Nationals podium. What did that moment mean to you, and how ready do you feel for this next chapter?
INDIA RISBY – It meant a lot to me to be promoted by Sarah. Few people know this, but we used to compete against each other a lot in the juvenile blue belt division, and I always saw her as a big inspiration.
I moved to Atos at the start of 2025 and since then she has helped me improve every day. Seeing how hard she trains, day after day in the gym, is also really motivating for me to keep pushing, stay consistent and give my best. So getting my brown belt from her was really special.
I’m feeling super ready for this next chapter as a brown belt. We have the best women’s team at Atos and our training never stops, so I’m always staying ready for whatever competition comes next.
This article was originally published in Portuguese: read the original version.
