Molina Becomes Youngest ADCC Medalist at Age 14

On a September afternoon in Kraków, Joslyn Molina stepped onto the mats at the ADCC Jiu-Jitsu World Championship and walked off as the youngest medalist the tournament has ever seen. At just 14 years old, the American grappler took bronze in the senior openweight -65kg division, lowering a mark that had stood at seventeen. Her medal run ended a debut that already carried historic weight.

Youngest invitee, then youngest medalist

Three months before the event, Molina had become the youngest competitor ever invited to an ADCC Worlds. She opened her bracket with a first-round win over Injana Goodman, then fell to Sarah Galvao in the second round. That loss sent her into the bronze path without room for hesitation.

A clean 6-0 for bronze

Molina met Mo Black in the third-place contest and controlled the match from start to finish. The scoreboard read 6-0 when time expired, a margin that left no doubt about the outcome. It secured both the medal and a semifinal appearance, making her the youngest athlete to reach either milestone in ADCC history.

The record she broke

The previous youngest medalist was Helena Crevar, the current female pound-for-pound No. 1, who took silver at the 2024 edition at age 17. Crevar had been celebrated as the youngest competitor ever to reach an ADCC final. Molina cleared that standard by three full years, a gap the event has rarely seen at its elite level.

No athlete of her age had reached a semifinal, let alone secured hardware. The margin by which the record fell suggests it could stand for years.

A bright future is ahead for the up-and-coming star known as "Baby Shark." For now, Kraków belongs to a 14-year-old who refused to let the stage feel too big.