{{short description|Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner from England}} {{for|the fraudster|Samantha Cookes}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}} {{Infobox martial artist | name = Samantha Cook | birth_name = | nickname = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1987|11|10}}<ref name="BJJ Heroes Samantha Cook">{{cite web | title=Samantha Cook | website=BJJ Heroes | date=14 August 2017 | url=https://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/samantha-cook}}</ref> | birth_place = Kingswood, England | nationality = | residence = | fighting_out_of = | team = Checkmat / Fight Zone London | rank = ''BJJ black belt'' | trainer =Marco Canha<br />Chico Mendes | weight_class = *Middleweight Gi<br />{{convert|-69|kg|lb}} *Middleweight No-Gi<br />{{convert|-66.5|kg|lb}} | style = Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | sherdog = | medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry | {{ENG}} }} {{MedalSport |Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu}} {{MedalCompetition |World Championship}} {{MedalBronze |2019 California, USA | -69 kg}}<ref name="IBJJF World 2019 results">{{cite web | title=2019 World Championship results| website=International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation | url=https://www.ibjjfdb.com/ChampionshipResults/1209/PublicResults}}</ref> {{MedalBronze |2018 California, USA | -69 kg}}<ref name="IBJJF World 2018 results">{{cite web | title=2018 World Championship results| website=International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation | url=https://www.ibjjfdb.com/ChampionshipResults/926/PublicResults}}</ref> {{MedalCompetition |European Championship}} {{MedalGold |2019 Lisbon, Portugal | -69 kg}}<ref name="IBJJF European 2019 Results">{{cite web | title=2019 European Championship results| website=International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation | url=https://www.ibjjfdb.com/ChampionshipResults/1077/PublicResults}}</ref> {{MedalCompetition |European No-Gi Championship}} {{MedalGold |2019 Rome, Italy| +80}} {{MedalBronze |2019 Rome, Italy | Open Class}}<ref name="Athlete Results IBJJF Samantha Cook">{{cite web | title=Athlete Results Samantha Cook| website=IBJJF | date=2018–2019 | url=https://ibjjf.com/athletes/samantha-cook}}</ref> {{MedalCompetition | Abu Dhabi World Pro}} {{MedalBronze |2019 Abu Dhabi, UAE| -70 kg}}<ref name="Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu Pro 2019 Results">{{cite web | title=Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu Pro 2019 Results | website=Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu Pro |year=2019 | url=https://ajptour.com/jp/event/183}}</ref> {{MedalCompetition | Abu Dhabi Grand Slam}} {{MedalSilver |2019 Abu Dhabi, UAE| -70 kg}}<ref name="Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu Grand Slam Abu Dhabi 2019">{{cite web | title=Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Abu Dhabi 2019 results | website=Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu Pro |year=2019 | url=https://ajptour.com/jp/event/121}}</ref> {{MedalSilver |2019 London, UK| -70 kg}}<ref name="Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu Grand Slam 2019 London">{{cite web | title=Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu Grand Slam 2019 London results | website=Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu Pro |year=2019 | url=https://ajptour.com/en/event/122/results}}</ref> {{MedalSilver |2018 Los Angeles, US| -70 kg}}<ref name="Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu Grand Slam LA 2018">{{cite web | title=Results, Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu Grand Slam LA 2018 | website=Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu Pro|year=2018 | url=https://ajptour.com/jp/event/120/results}}</ref> {{MedalGold |2018 Tokyo, Japan| -70 kg}}<ref name="Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu Grand Slam 2018 Tokyo">{{cite web | title=Results, Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu Grand Slam 2018 Tokyo | website=Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu Pro |year=2018 | url=https://ajptour.com/jp/event/109/results}}</ref> {{MedalGold |2018 Abu Dhabi, UAE| -90 kg}}<ref name="Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu Grand Slam 2018 Abu Dhabi">{{cite web | title=Results, Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu Grand Slam 2018 Abu Dhabi | website=Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu Pro |year=2018 | url=https://ajptour.com/en/event/11/results}}</ref> }} '''Samantha Cook''' (born 10 November 1987) is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt competitor. Cook is a No-Gi World champion, a four-time European champion and a four-time British champion in coloured belts. The first British female to win the ADCC Trials in the black belt division, she is a multiple time World Medalist and the 2019 European Champion in both Gi and No-Gi.<ref name="BJJ Heroes Samantha Cook" />
== Career == Samantha Lea Cook was born in Kingswood near Bristol, England. During her youth she started in judo then competed in show jumping.<ref name="Passela 2018">{{cite web | last=Passela | first=Amith | title=Samantha Cook expects Abu Dhabi Grand Slam win to inspire European fighters to challenge Brazilians | website=The National | date=14 January 2018 | url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/other-sport/samantha-cook-expects-abu-dhabi-grand-slam-win-to-inspire-european-fighters-to-challenge-brazilians-1.695285}}</ref> At the age of 21 she discovered Brazilian jiu-jitsu and after moving to Bristol in 2008, started training under Checkmat's Chico Mendes.<ref name="PerformWell High Performance Coaching 2015">{{cite web |date=1 July 2015 |title=High Performance Resources for Athletes and Executives |url=https://www.performwell.co.uk/making-british-history-samantha-cook-quadruple-gold-medallist |website=PerformWell High Performance Coaching}}</ref>
In 2014 Cook won the European Championship for the first time as a purple belt.<ref name="Left 2019">{{cite web |last=Left |first=Maggie |date=8 March 2019 |title=ADGS London: European Champ Samantha Cook Looking for Gold at Home |url=https://www.flograppling.com/articles/6383565-adgs-london-european-champ-samantha-cook-looking-for-gold-at-home |website=FloGrappling}}</ref> At the 2015 IBJJF/UKBJJF British Nationals, she won quadruple gold after winning in two divisions in Gi and No-Gi, that same year she moved to London joining Checkmat's affiliate Fight Factory then ''Fightzone London'' under Marco Canha.<ref name="Left 2019" /> She pursued her training in the evenings while working as a Respiratory therapist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery.<ref name="Women Who Fight 2020">{{cite web |date=24 July 2020 |title=Samantha Cook |url=https://womenwhofight.co.uk/articles/athlete-stories/samantha-cook |website=Women Who Fight}}</ref> As a brown belt Cook won gold at the ADCC European Trials, the first British women to do so at black belt level;<ref name="Left 2019" /> then won the 2017 European Open (Gi and No-Gi) followed by a double silver medal at the 2017 World Championship in both her weight division and in absolute.<ref name="Left 2019" />
Her promotion to black belt took place in June 2017. In August, debuting at black belt at Polaris Pro Grappling 5, in a Gi Match at 64 kg, she defeated Nottingham's Vanessa English by judges decision.<ref name="Polaris Pro Grappling 2017">{{cite web |date=1 November 2017 |title=Polaris 5 – Polaris Pro Grappling |url=https://polarisprograppling.com/events/polaris-5 |website=Polaris Pro Grappling}}</ref><ref name="BJJ Heroes Polaris 5">{{cite web |date=19 August 2017 |title=Polaris 5 Results: Tonon Beats Danis in Exciting Match! |url=https://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-news/polaris-5-results-tonon-beats-danis-in-exciting-match |website=BJJ Heroes}}</ref> In July 2018 she won gold at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Tokyo in the 70 kg division, after defeating Claudia do Val, and gold at the 2018 UAEJJF Grand Slam Abu Dhabi after submitting Thamara Silva.<ref name="Passela 2018" /> At Polaris 7 she lost a No-Gi match to Finland's world champion Venla Luukkonen after a split judges decision.<ref name="Attack The Back 2018">{{cite web |date=15 July 2018 |title=Polaris 7 Results |url=https://www.attacktheback.com/polaris-7-results |website=Attack The Back |access-date=22 April 2022 |archive-date=31 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731161754/https://www.attacktheback.com/polaris-7-results/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Cook won bronze at the 2018 IBJJF World Championship then gold at the 2019 European Championship in both Gi and No-Gi (as well as bronze in No-Gi absolute). In 2019 she won bronze again at the World Championship, bronze at the Abu Dhabi World Pro, followed by silver at the UAEJJF Grand Slam, Abu Dhabi.<ref name="Athlete Results IBJJF Samantha Cook" /> That same year, Cook won gold at the UAEJJF British National Pro and gold at the UAEJJF Netherland National Pro.<ref name="AJP Samantha CookFighter profile">{{cite web |date=22 April 2022 |title=Samantha Cook – Fighter profile |url=https://ajptour.com/es/profile/25255 |website=Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu Pro}}</ref>
== Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitive summary == Main Achievements (Black Belt)<ref name="BJJ Heroes Samantha Cook" /> * IBJJF European Open Champion (2019) * IBJJF European No-Gi Champion (2019) * UAEJJF Grand Slam, Tokyo (2018) * UAEJJF Grand Slam, Abu Dhabi (2018) * 2nd place UAEJJF Grand Slam, Abu Dhabi (2019) * 2nd place UAEJJF Grand Slam, London (2019) * 2nd place UAEJJF Grand Slam, Los Angeles (2018) * 3rd place IBJJF World Championship (2018 / 2019) * 3rd place UAEJJF World Pro (2019)
Main Achievements (Coloured Belts)<ref name="BJJ Heroes Samantha Cook" /> * IBJJF World No Gi Champion (2015 brown) * ADCC European Trials winner (2017) * IBJJF European Open Champion (2017 / 2016 brown, 2015 / 2014 purple) * IBJJF European Open No-Gi Champion (2017{{efn|name=Absolute|Absolute}} brown) * UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Grand Slam winner (2016 brown) * UKBJJF/IBJJF British Nationals Champion (2015{{efn|name=Weight and absolute|Weight and absolute}} purple) * UKBJJF/IBJJF British Nationals No-Gi Champion(2015{{efn|name=Weight and absolute}} purple) * 2nd place IBJJF World Championship (2017{{efn|name=Weight and absolute|Weight and absolute}}/ 2016 brown) * 2nd place IBJJF World Championship No-Gi (2016 brown) * 2nd place UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Grand Slam (2017 brown)
== Instructor lineage == Helio Gracie > Rolls Gracie > Romero Cavalcanti (Jacaré) > Ricardo Vieira > Marco Canha > Samantha Cook<ref name="Jiu Jitsu Legacy 2019">{{cite web |date=14 April 2019 |title=Road to Abu Dhabi World 2019 Best Prospects |url=https://jiujitsulegacy.com/news/road-to-abu-dhabi-world-2019 |website=Jiu Jitsu Legacy}}</ref>
== Notes == {{notelist}}
== References == {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Samantha}} Category:Living people Category:1987 births Category:English practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Category:People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Category:World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship medalists Category:English submission wrestlers Category:Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners Category:Respiratory therapists