Athlete Spotlight: Q&A with Arafat Khadarkhail

I take part in jiu jitsu. 

I got into the sport at age 15-16 and I initially started it for fitness and weight loss. 

Currently I’m a national competitor, competing at the big tournaments within the UK, however my aim is to go international and compete against the best. 

My best sporting achievement is the ADCC national championship gold medal.

I have competed in many tournaments, taking home silver and bronze medals, but it’s the times I went home with no medals which pushed me to work harder, so when I did win gold medals it made it much sweeter. 

I have a few tournaments booked for 2026 biggest one being the British open in December.

I’m working towards climbing the ranks and getting better every day. I believe my team and coaches can take me to the next level.  

My favourite thing about my sport is the discipline. It doesn’t only help on the mats, but also in my studies as a young engineer, pushing me to work hard on my education as well. 

My biggest inspiration in the sport is my coach Naqi, he’s stuck with me through the ups and downs and has always been there for me, whether it was cutting weight or having someone in my corner. 

My favourite memory was the nationals final it went to overtime and I was losing, but I came back in the end. 

My favourite thing about NSCG is the opportunities they provide you with. 

I hope to progress in my apprenticeship and hopefully complete a degree in engineering. 

My long-term career goals are to have a career in engineering because it’s something I have had a passion since I was a kid. Hopefully I’ll still training jiu jitsu and competing regularly too. 

NSCG had given me free access to the gym and therefore I can use it to my advantage. 

The advice I’d give to someone joining would be to take the opportunities they provide you with, you never know where they’ll take you.