Elina Moestam is a Swedish grappler and a black belt in jiu-jitsu under Alan “Finfou” do Nascimento, who also worked extensively with coaches such as Kenta Hammarström, Max Lindblad, Maxine Thylin as well as Ricard and Ralf Carneborn, while representing the Checkmat BJJ team in the sport’s international circuit. Moestam became widely recognized as one of the leading athletes of the light-featherweight division while competing in the colored belt categories of BJJ by conquering numerous important titles on the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) calendar such as the World and European tournaments.
Elina Moestam Jiu-Jitsu
Full Name: Elina Moestam
Nickname: N/A
Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rolls Gracie > Romero Cavalcanti > Ricardo Vieira > Alan Finfou > Elina Moestam
Main Achievements:
- 1st Place IBJJF World Championship (2019 brown)
- 1st Place IBJJF European Open (2018 / 2019 purple, 2020 brown)
- 1st Place IBJJF European Open NoGi (2016 blue, 2019 brown)
- 1st Place UAEJJF Abu Dhabi World Pro (2017 / 2018 purple)
- 1st Place UAEJJF Grand Slam, LDN (2018 / 2019 purple)
- 1st Place UAEJJF Grand Slam, TYO (2018 purple)
- 1st Place SBJJF Swedish Nat. Championship (2017 / 2019 purple & black)
- 1st Place SBJJF Swedish Submission Wrestling Championship (2016)
- 2nd Place SBJJF Swedish Nat. Championship (2018 / 2019* purple & black)
- 3rd Place UAEJJF Grand Slam, TYO (2019 brown & black)
- 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship (2016 blue)
- 3rd Place IBJJF European Open (2017 blue)
* Absolute
** Weight and Absolute
Favorite Position/Technique: Open Guard
Weight Division: Pluma (53,50 kg / 118.0 lbs)
Team/Association: Checkmat Sweden
Elina Moestam Biography
Elina Moestam was born on December 2, 1991, in a small Swedish town named Örnsköldsvik, in the northern region of the country, moving to a suburb in the outer skirts of Stockholm as a 6-year-old, where she spent her childhood.
Growing up Elina was not particularly driven towards sports, though she did compete recreationally in a variety of activities, particularly in basketball during her formative years while becoming deeply invested in yoga from the age of 16 to 22.
After a brief experience with kickboxing, Moestam accepted a job as a receptionist in a local mixed martial arts (MMA) club, which allowed her to train in the gym’s disciplines. Her intentions were to pursue kickboxing, but due to a conflicting schedule, she ended up taking MMA and grappling classes with Martin Gottenborg.
Helped by Gottenborg and a BJJ purple belt training partner named Michael Österlund, Elina started gaining interest in jiu-jitsu, participating in the Nordic Open tournament. After one year of MMA training, in January 2014, 22-year-old Moestam joined a jiu-jitsu class at the Nacka Dojo and never looked back. Her initial tuition being taken by Ricard and Ralf Carneborn, with the occasional help of Maxine Thylin.
As a blue belt in BJJ, Elina Moestam switched camps and joined the famous Swedish BJJ academy, Prana. There the young athlete was taught by Kenta Hammarström and Alan Finfou until 2016, a time when Alan split from the Prana gym. This move to Stockholm and Prana was a turning point for Moestam, as she became a full-time athlete during this period while juggling her schedule with her academic studies at the university.
Throughout her progression as an athlete, Elina’s training was supported by a few top tier black bels such as the aforementioned Kenta and Finfou, as well as Max Lindblad and Erik Friberg. With the support of an experienced team, her own hard and talent, Moestam became one of the top athletes on the European grappling circuit, quickly transitioning to a worldwide platform as a purple belt. Her outstanding results on the competitive circuit earned Elina her black belt on January 28, 2020 – 6 years after she first stepped on the mats, from the hands of Alan Finfou do Nascimento, a coach with whom she had continued to work, despite the team split of 2016.
