Coach Galera Wins Triple Gold at World Police & Fire Games 2025

Fair play to Coach Galera, who's just returned from Birmingham, Alabama with three gold medals around his neck! Our head coach at Studio Galera in Bandon, West Cork has done us all proud at the World Police & Fire Games 2025.

Triple Gold Performance

Competing in the over-40s division, Galera absolutely dominated across three disciplines:

• Gold Medal in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Gi
• Gold Medal in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi
• Gold Medal in Freestyle Wrestling (his first time competing in wrestling!)

That's right, he picked up a third gold in a completely new sport.

Representing Ireland and Cork

Galera competed wearing the Irish flag 🇮🇪 with pride, representing both his country and Cork County Fire Service. As a retained firefighter based at Bandon Fire Station, he travelled to Birmingham alongside a brilliant crew of Gardaí and firefighters from across Ireland.

The World Police & Fire Games bring together emergency service personnel from around the world to compete in various sports, and this year Ireland's contingent showed what we're made of.

Bridging Two Homes

For Galera, this competition held special meaning beyond the medals. A Brazilian who's called Ireland home for nearly 20 years, he found himself competing alongside firefighters and police officers from Brazil, the country where he trained capoeira for most of his life.

"Loved being able to play with these amazing firefighters and policemen from Brazil," Galera said after the event. "Thanks for the great energy and vibes."

That word "play" is no accident. Whether it's capoeira, BJJ, or wrestling, Galera brings that playful spirit to everything he does. It's a philosophy he's carried from his capoeira roots in Brazil through two decades in Ireland, and it's what makes training at Studio Galera in Bandon special for students of all ages.

From the Mats to the Wrestling Ring

What makes this achievement even more impressive is Galera's willingness to step outside his comfort zone. By his own admission, he's not a wrestler, but he decided to jump in and give it a go. After years of training and competing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he took on freestyle wrestling for the first time at an international competition, and still came away with gold.

How'd he pull it off? With a bit of help from family. Galera's brothers-in-law all train as wrestlers, and they gave him advice and a last-minute crash course on the rules before he competed. Fair play to them for the support, and fair play to Galera for having the courage to try something completely new on the world stage.

That's the mindset we try to instil in all our students at Studio Galera, whether they're training in our BJJ Kids programme or BJJ Fundamentals classes. Push yourself, try new things, and see what you're capable of.

Grateful for the Support

Galera wanted to give a shout-out to Cork County Council and the crew at Bandon Fire Station for their support in making this trip possible. It takes a village, as they say, and he's grateful to everyone who backed him on this journey.

We're all delighted to have him back at the studio, sharing his experiences with the students. If you want to train with a triple gold medalist, now's your chance!

Interested in starting your own Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu journey in Bandon? Check out our programmes or register for a free trial to see what training at Studio Galera is all about.