Mark Zuckerberg is adding one more title to his résumé: medal-winning martial artist.
The Facebook and Meta founder won gold and silver medals at his very first Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament in Redwood City, California, to the shock of many in the martial arts community and probably more widely.
The 38-year-old tech billionaire said he took up an interest in the sport early on in the pandemic and he posted his win on Instagram, saying: “Competed in my first jiu-jitsu tournament and won some medals for the Guerrilla Jiu Jitsu team.”
One of his coaches, Khai “the Shadow” Wu, congratulated his student: “Yesterday getting to see Zuck compete was pretty epic. No match was easy and everything was earned. It was an honor to be able to help coach and offer any advice I could.”
Zuckerberg received support for his new hobby from several high-profile athletes.
Former UFC champion and student of anger management Conor McGregor commented on the post: “Yo!!! F***ing awesome Mark.”
Brazilian Bernardo Faria, the five-time world jiu-jitsu champion, said of Zuckerberg’s win: “Amazing!!! Half guard, arm-bars, triangle! Super cool!’”
Other celebrities also congratulated the tech nerd-turned-athlete on his success. US TV host and former teen heartthrob Mario Lopez commented with three fire emojis.
Other famous people have also taken up the sport.
Actor Ashton Kutcher, who took up jiu-jitsu more than a decade ago, has a brown belt in the sport. Actor Jason Statham and comedian Russell Brand have purple belts.
The Peaky Blinders and Venom star Tom Hardy also competes in the UK, and has won competitions in Wolverhampton and Milton Keynes.
