From a para’s crushed dream to para jiu-jitsu glory, Paul Skivington becomes the UK’s first World Para Jiu-jitsu Champion
Paul Skivington, a veteran of 9 Parachute Squadron, faced a life-altering challenge when a motorbike accident in 2001, when he was just 23, resulted in the loss of his left leg above the knee, ending his Army career.
Undeterred, Paul rekindled his competitive spirit through sports, initially embracing golf and later dedicating six years to coaching boxing in his hometown of Sturminster Newton. However, his accident had left him with metal plates in his arm, creating a weakness where the metal joined the bone. During a routine sparring session, his arm snapped, potentially once again ending his competitive aspirations.
Determined to remain active and engaged, Paul sought a combat sport with less physical impact that he could also share with his children. This search led him to Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) in Yeovil, where he immediately fell in love with the discipline. Beginning in 2018, Paul competed against able-bodied opponents, acknowledging the inherent challenges: “Guard – being stuck inside someone’s legs – are a major part of the sport, and when you’ve only got one leg, it’s a bit too easy for your opponent to get out of them and score!”
At that time, the UK lacked Para jiu-jitsu competitions. Paul’s perseverance paid off in 2022 when he entered his first Para jiu-jitsu competition, the REORG Open, securing a gold medal. He repeated his success in 2023 and he set his sights on the Para jiu-jitsu World Championships, the premier global competition held annually in Abu Dhabi. Competing in the 2023 world championships as a newly qualified purple belt, Paul earned silver and bronze medals. In 2024, he achieved a double gold in both gi (wearing the traditional jiu-jitsu uniform) and no-gi categories at a UK Para jiu-jitsu competition.
Better than a coach
‘Earlier this year, I knew my jiu-jitsu game had really improved,’ Paul says. ‘I’ve been a purple belt for 18 months now, with a lot more experience and skill, so I wanted to give the world title another go.’
He travelled to Abu Dhabi on 4th November, joining approximately 100 athletes from around the world, all with various disabilities. ‘Classification in para jiu-jitsu is based on mobility first – I was in the amputee group, obviously – but then it’s quite fluid. Clearly there’s rarely a perfect match, so experienced black belts will assess the participants and place them according to age, weight and belt on the day of competition.’
Paul’s had two fights in Abu Dhabi, both resulting in submission victories, earning him the title of World Para jiu-jitsu Champion – the first UK athlete in his classification to do so.
“Coaching boxing was fantastic, but jiu-jitsu has literally changed my life. I’m actually doing it,” Paul says. ‘Though the sport is almost 100 per cent sparring, there’s no heavy contact, there are no blows or strikes: we tap. So instead of needing recovery time as I would from a full contact sport, I can train four or five times a week.’
As he advanced through the belts, Paul recognised the diminishing returns of competing against able-bodied opponents of similar levels, though he he is determined to compete able-bodied at some stage.
Paul trains at Invictus Jiujitsuhttps://invictusjiujitsu.co.uk in Gillingham.
