Venla Luukkonen

Venla Orvokki Luukkonen was born on 2 March 1984 in Espoo, Finland,[1] when she was one year old her family moved to Kuopio in Northern Savonia. After secondary school she started training in Capoiera followed by Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in 2008 at Jyväskylän Fight Club (Internationally known as Hilti BJJ Jyväskylä) while studying for a PhD in education. She received her blue belt from Kimmo Rautiainen in 2009 then won silver the following year at the 2010 IBJJF World Championship. After receiving her purple belt from Sauli Heilimö she won bronze at the 2011 World Championship and silver at the 2011 ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship European Trials.[2] The following year Luukkonen won silver as well as bronze at the 2012 European Championship. Luukkonen received her brown belt from Marko Leisten in 2012, becoming world champion for the firs time in 2013 and winning silver again at the 2013 ADCC European Trials.[4] In 2014 she received double gold by winning both heavyweight division and absolute (open class) at the European Championship.[2]

Luukkonen received her black belt from former World champion Pedro Duarte on 22 February 2014, becoming the first Finnish female black belt. In 2014 she won the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, the first Finnish native to do so at black belt level.[2] In 2015 Luukkonen won gold at the European No-Gi Championship in two categories and bronze at the World Championship. In 2016 and 2017 she reached the World Championship final winning silver both years before becoming world champion for the second time in 2018. Luukkonen won bronze at the 2nd ADCC European Trials[5] and was invited to the 2017 ADCC World Championship, also competing in grappling at Polaris 7 she won a No-Gi match against Samantha Cook.[6] In addition to national tournaments like the Swedish Open that she won in 2018,[7] Luukkonen was a European championship medallist for six consecutive years from 2015 to 2020. Luukkonen trains in both Finland and Sweden, she represents Hilti Akademi Nord, where she is one of the head instructors.[8] In 2019 she won silver at the World Championship after facing Claudia do Val in the final. In January 2022 Luukkonen won gold at the ADCC Sweden Tournament 8 that took place in Eskilstuna, Sweden.[9]

Luukkonen is married to fellow black belt Hanna Hirvonen[2]. Together they run Grappling Verkstan, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Submission Wrestling academy that they founded, as part of Hilti BJJ, based in Örebro, Sweden.[10]

Main Achievements at black belt level:[2]

• 2 x IBJJF World Champion (2018[11]—2014[12])
• 2 x IBJJF European Champion NoGi (2015[lower-alpha 1][13])
• 2nd Place IBJJF European Championship (2015[13]—2016[14]—2017[15]—2018[16])
• 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship (2019[17]—2017[18]—2016[19])
• 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship (2015[20])
• 3rd Place IBJJF European Championship (2020[21]—2019[22])

Main Achievements (Coloured Belts):[2]

• IBJJF World Champion (2013 brown)
• 3 x IBJJF European Champion (2014[lower-alpha 1] brown) (2012 purple)
• 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship (2012 purple, 2010 Blue)
• 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship (2011 purple)

Carlson Gracie > Murilo Bustamante > Pedro Duarte > Venla Luukkonen[2]