Sport
13 November 2025
Student Jan Jilčík collects medals in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and grappling tournaments
Jan has achieved significant successes over the past six months. On March 29, he won the Grappling Rivals 4 tournament in České Budějovice in the GI blue belt category up to 77 kg and won bronze in the NO-GI category. At the end of June, he triumphed at the Grind 10 tournament in Prague, and on September 20, he confirmed his form with a gold medal at the Tatamy 16 tournament in Brno. Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) is a modern combat sport and self-defense system focused primarily on ground fighting in a kimono. The main goal is to gain a dominant position and force the opponent to surrender using locks and chokes. Thanks to its emphasis on technique, BJJ allows for effective fighting even against physically stronger opponents. Grappling is a form of fighting without a kimono that combines techniques from BJJ, wrestling, judo, and other combat sports.
Jane, when did you start practicing combat sports?
I started combat sports at the age of 19, when I was practicing MMA. Gradually, I focused on Brazilian jiu-jitsu and grappling, which I still actively practice today. I train at the SK Pretorian Židlochovice club under the guidance of Leoš Zouhar and also at SWAG Brno under the guidance of Jan Stach. I currently have a blue belt and actively participate in domestic and international tournaments in Gi and No-Gi.
Congratulations on winning the gold medal at the Tatamy tournament in Brno – can you tell us a little about this tournament?
Tatamy is a Czech competition series of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and grappling tournaments, which is one of the largest and highest-quality domestic events. Competitors from the Czech Republic and neighboring countries of all levels – from beginners to the elite – take part. Thanks to its high participation, Tatamy is an important competitive platform for Czech grapplers and BJJ fighters.
How do you manage to balance your studies with top-level sport?
I manage to balance my studies with sport. I go to training in the morning, then to school, and after school to another training session. I manage 8-10 training sessions a week and, to compensate, I also do weight training twice a week.
You are in your final year of study, so I would like to ask you about the topic of your thesis and who is supervising it.
My topic is "Negative electrode for sodium-ion batteries." I really appreciate that my thesis supervisor, Associate Professor Petr Bača, is very accommodating with my schedule. Thanks to his understanding, I am able to better balance my athletic training with my studies.
How did you end up studying at Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication, BUT (FEEC)?
I have been interested in electrical engineering since childhood, so I decided to study mechatronics at the Secondary School of Technology and Economics in Brno on Olomoucká Street. Together with several classmates, we then continued in this field at FEEC on the recommendation of our microelectronics teacher.
What do you enjoy most about school?
The labs and working with modern equipment.
And one final question – what are your plans for the coming days?
I would like to compete in a few more tournaments before the end of the year. Definitely both Tatami tournaments in Prague and Brno. In the future, I would like to test my skills at the European level in one of the IBJJF open tournaments.
(IBJJF - International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, is the world's most prestigious organization organizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitions, and its tournaments are considered official and internationally recognized competitions that set the standard in this sport, author's note).
Thank you for the interview and we wish you every success in the upcoming tournaments!
Source: FEEC BUT
I manage to balance my studies with sport. I go to training in the morning, then to school, and after school to another training session. I manage 8-10 training sessions a week and, to compensate, I also do weight training twice a week.
You are in your final year of study, so I would like to ask you about the topic of your thesis and who is supervising it.
My topic is "Negative electrode for sodium-ion batteries." I really appreciate that my thesis supervisor, Associate Professor Petr Bača, is very accommodating with my schedule. Thanks to his understanding, I am able to better balance my athletic training with my studies.
How did you end up studying at Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication, BUT (FEEC)?
I have been interested in electrical engineering since childhood, so I decided to study mechatronics at the Secondary School of Technology and Economics in Brno on Olomoucká Street. Together with several classmates, we then continued in this field at FEEC on the recommendation of our microelectronics teacher.
What do you enjoy most about school?
The labs and working with modern equipment.
And one final question – what are your plans for the coming days?
I would like to compete in a few more tournaments before the end of the year. Definitely both Tatami tournaments in Prague and Brno. In the future, I would like to test my skills at the European level in one of the IBJJF open tournaments.
(IBJJF - International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, is the world's most prestigious organization organizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitions, and its tournaments are considered official and internationally recognized competitions that set the standard in this sport, author's note).
Thank you for the interview and we wish you every success in the upcoming tournaments!
Source: FEEC BUT
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