Riegl and Horak claim first Duo Men world title

Gernot Riegl and Johannes Horak won gold in the Duo Men class at the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship in Abu Dhabi on Friday, ORF reported. The pair from Jiu Jitsu Goshindo Pressbaum, a club in the St. Pölten district, also won two silver medals, making it the biggest success of their careers.

“It is overwhelming because it is our first world championship title in this class,” Riegl said. Horak added that both athletes had trained since childhood and competed in the discipline with full commitment.

The pair finished second in the preliminary rounds before defeating a strong team from Russia in the semi-final. In the final, they beat the reigning world champions from Italy.

Riegl said their experience helped them deliver their performance and convince the judges. The duo had narrowly missed out on the title in 2023 after a mistake cost them victory.

Before the gold medal, Riegl and Horak won silver in the Jiu-Jitsu Show Men and Jiu-Jitsu Show Open classes on Thursday. They have also won 25 medals at world and European championships, as well as two world titles in the Show class.

They will compete for a fourth medal on Saturday in the Jiu-Jitsu Duo Open class.