Seven-year-old Tongan-Fijian jiu-jitsu champion Achillea Hennessy wins fourth world title

“If more pacific islanders did grappling sports we would have more champions.”

At just seven years old, Achillea Hennessy has already won four world championship titles in jiu-jitsu, but her father Trevor believes her achievements point to something much bigger.

The young athlete recently claimed her fourth world title at the Sport Jiu-Jitsu International Federation (SJJF) World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, winning the 7-8-year-old girls’ medium-heavyweight division.

We spoke to her father Trevor, who shared how Achillea’s journey began, the challenges she faced competing against older children and why keeping her Pacific heritage at the centre of family life matters to him.

Achillea has strong Pacific ties through both sides of her family. Her paternal grandmother is from Lakeba, Lau, while her mother is fully Tongan.

Trevor says keeping that connection to their culture is important to the family.

“Her Tongan heritage is something that means a lot to me personally. Although I’m not Tongan myself, my wife is fully Tongan, and our children are half Tongan.”

“I make an effort to speak Tongan to them because I want them to learn the language, understand their culture, and stay connected to their roots.”

Achillea started jiu-jitsu at around five years old after being introduced to the sport by her father, who has a background in boxing, fighting and mixed martial arts.

Trevor says he had always believed his daughter would excel, whatever sport she chose.

“I always knew no matter what she did she would be a champion at so when I figured out she could compete I wanted to get her into it.”

The early years of competition came with their own challenges.

Because competitions are largely organised by weight, Achillea’s size meant she was sometimes matched against much older competitors. At six years old, she was competing against boys as old as 12.

“We had a rough start due to her size having to go up against 12 year old boys when she was only 6 years old because being a big island girl they go predominantly by weight for competitions.”

Trevor wanted Achillea competing against children closer to her own age and also made changes to her coaching environment.

“I got her weight down strategically And switched jiu jitsu coaches as she had some really bad coaching which is the ugly side to the sport.”

He then began training with her every night.

“I trained her every night and within a few months she was winning nearly every tournament in NZ, NZ champion then Oceania Champion.”

That success soon took Achillea onto the international stage.

She travelled to Texas for her first world championships when she was still six years old in December last year and won the title.

This year, she became the first seven-year-old from New Zealand to compete at the IBJJF Pan Kids World Championships in Orlando, Florida, where she won gold.

A month later, she returned to Florida for the Newbreed World Championships, winning both the Gi and No-Gi divisions.

Then came Tokyo, where she claimed her fourth world title.

Jiu-jitsu, however, is only one of 10 sports Achillea and her sisters participate in.

The family has four daughters, with another baby girl due in the coming weeks. The girls are homeschooled and spend their days balancing education, training, competition and family life.

Achillea is also a New Zealand and Australian national Olympic wrestling champion, and according to her father, holds records across other sports she competes in.

“I wouldnt say its a huge part as she does 10 other sports but i would say its brought alot of fun times to our the girls lives , training and competing has helped shaped them”

The girls’ sporting achievements have grown alongside a family life where they spend almost every moment together.

“Family for me is the most important aspect to our lives , we literally spend every moment together through schooling and work we do it a together , raising them and developing them is my lifes purpose and i wouldnt have it any other way”

That same family environment is where Trevor works to keep his daughters connected to their Tongan heritage.

He wants them to understand where they come from, know the strength of the people who came before them and recognise the community behind them.

“I want my children to know that they come from a long line of strong people, that they have a proud heritage behind them, and that they have a whole community supporting them.”

Trevor also sees an opportunity for more Pacific children to find their place in grappling sports.

“If I am honest if more pacific islanders did grappling sports we would have more champions, we are naturally gifted with size and strength and athleticism, but because of various reasons do not have the opportunities to compete, if they did it would be awesome.”

Achillea’s success has already taken her around the world, but Trevor hopes the visibility of her achievements can encourage other young Pacific athletes to believe that these opportunities are possible for them too.

“I want them to understand that where they come from is part of their strength, and that through their achievements, they have the opportunity to inspire others, especially young Pacific children, to believe in themselves and what they can achieve.”

The next challenges are already lined up.

Achillea is preparing for the New Zealand national championships in judo and freestyle Olympic wrestling before returning to Texas in three months to chase another world title alongside her younger sister, Acushla.

Four world titles at seven years old is already a remarkable sporting record.

But the story Trevor is building with his daughters extends beyond the competition mat, with family, culture, education and sport all woven into the way they are growing up.

For Achillea, there are already more competitions ahead.

And if her record so far is anything to go by, she is only getting started.