If you follow gi jiu-jitsu closely, you know one immutable fact about blue belts: the juvenile divisions are where you see the brightest prospects and toughest matches. These are the kids who have been training their whole lives and are already operating at an incredible skill level. Every year at the IBJJF European Championships, we see plenty of exciting young athletes, but a few will rise above the field.

Jonathan Anderson of Gracie Barra, from California, announced himself as a young blue belt to watch with his impressive performance at Euros, capturing lightweight juvenile gold with a diverse and nuanced submission arsenal. Here's his road to gold.

Round One vs Garnik Zaynalyan

Thankfully we don't have to wait long to get started with what's the most interesting aspect of the game Anderson showed at Euros - his impressive use of both the barrataplata and the Tarikoplata. These are two complimentary shoulder locks that have only really gained traction in the last decade or so - and it's rare to see someone at blue belt using them. Notice how Anderson isolates that far arm, gets to the Tarikoplata and then switches to the barrataplata to finish. That's not something blue belts should usually be able to do - and it's very impressive that this one can.

Round Two vs Carlos Eduardo Da Silva Correia

In the second round, back to that shoulder lock - we can see a little more of how he is setting that up as well. He's starting in the armbar, but when you get to the armbar you have to separate hands and then manage any stacking or turning escapes. Instead of any of that, he's instead using the barrataplata or Tarikoplata and using that rotational pressure for the submission instead of the more linear armbar. It's a really clever answer to a common problem. Any time he can get to the armbar or the kimura grip, he has his best sequence available to him.

Quarters vs Matéo Camara

This is where the road starts to get hard - early on Anderson had to work from top and was caught in a deep pair of submissions, including a pretty nasty crank on his own arm. It was serious adversity, but he escaped, passed, and kept at it. Maybe we could ding him for getting stuck in these submissions but this is a major championship - some tough fights are expected and I more credit him for staying calm, staying tough, and escaping. Those pass points proved the difference in what was a very serious test of his metal.

Semis vs Kaiden Malik

Into the medal rounds, and it was a back-and-forth match with Malik but again ultimately it was Anderson's passing and top work that made the difference in a 7-4 bout. I thought it was really notable how well he was mixing head-first tripoding positions like the over under and his outside passing but the pass ultimately came off his opponent's triangle choke. With the escape, and more toughness, Anderson was able to slip to the side and secure side control for those deciding three points.

Finals vs Khaleed Abdullah Zawia

The finals proved to be the toughest match of the day, and Zawia was also very impressive here. It ultimately was decided by advantages, 3 to 1, with Anderson coming out on top. Those deciding scores came again from the top position, with two near passes in the match. That well-rounded game was very important to his run at Euros.

With the rest of the IBJJF majors season unfolding, Jonathan Anderson has stamped himself as one to watch as an exciting and talented up-and-coming grappler.