Cumming, August 15, 2026 — Fifteen years old Timur Latypov walks into Gracie Barra South Forsyth most days after school, drops his bag by the mats, and starts working toward something bigger than his next tournament.
In three years training under Coach Ivan Raintung, the Tatar athlete from Kazan, Russia has piled up gold medals-IBJJF PanKids, NAGA, the AJP Tour, AGF, NEWBREED plus two IBJJF Atlanta Open titles and back-to-back ADCC championships. Most recently, he went 3-0 with three submissions to take a Pan American title in his kids’ division in Orlando.
For Raintung, though, Latypov’s trophy case is really a byproduct of something he cares about more: bringing Brazilian jiu-jitsu to Georgia’s Asian American community.
“It’s just my passion,” said Raintung, who opened the gym in 2017. “I’m happy to see all my students progress, not only from a competition perspective. I want them to be good, to be a good person, to be a role model.”
He’s watched, with growing concern, reports of racial bullying targeting Asian American youth climb in recent years. To him, jiu-jitsu is a direct answer and a way to hand young people both the confidence and the physical tools to defend themselves.
“Jiu-jitsu can help build confidence, discipline and self-defense,” Raintung said, noting that training gives kids the ability to protect themselves if they’re ever targeted. It’s personal for him, too: he got into the sport partly because there was no jiu-jitsu program near his home for his daughter, and he wanted her to be able to hold her own.
Before jiu-jitsu found him, Raintung had already logged years in Chinese martial arts, taekwondo, Muay Thai and boxing. Today, he holds a black belt from Grand Master Carlos Gracie Jr. and is a certified instructor under Fabio Costa. As head coach of the youth competition team, he’s steered the program to several regional first-place finishes and two state titles in youth and teen divisions.
Latypov’s own path started even earlier, learning taekwondo at age 4, then wrestling with family members, before jiu-jitsu took over once he moved to the U.S. Now a student at South Forsyth High School, he trains almost every day, and he’s already thinking past his current age bracket.
“My immediate goal after I turn 16, because I’m still considered a kid, I’m trying to compete at the world championship in Las Vegas,” he said. “I am trying to conquer the world.”
Raintung’s involvement doesn’t stop at coaching. He’s also helped connect Latypov’s family with sponsors to offset the cost of tournament travel. It is not a small expense in a sport that requires constant flying and entry fees.
“Competition is not cheap,” Raintung said. “I’m doing this not expecting anything in return. I just love this family, and I try to help them.”
That ethos extends to the rest of the gym, says Wesley Le, 18, a recent Forsyth Central High School graduate who’s trained under Raintung for three months and helped Latypov prepare for his Pan American run.
“Everyone wants to help each other,” Le said. “It’s not where people are selfish. You’re here to make your teammates better. Really seeing him succeed is what makes me happy, too.”
Jiu-jitsu still isn’t an Olympic sport, though Raintung says international federations are pushing for that to change in time for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. And Latypov can’t chase a senior world title yet and that milestone waits until blue belt. Still, Raintung isn’t worried about the timeline.
“He’s very talented,” he said.
Whether or not Latypov ever gets his Olympic shot, Raintung sees him as a template. A proof of what happens when discipline, mentorship and a welcoming gym culture line up. The goal was never just champions. It was kids who walk out of that gym able to stand tall, wherever they go.
