BJJDoc was recently tipped off that the widely shared story about the “first black belt with Down syndrome” wasn’t the full picture. While headlines pointed to a male athlete, further checking revealed the milestone had already been reached in Spokane, Washington. On October 26 in 2024, 38-year-old Rachel Burns was promoted to black belt by head professor James Weed at Newborn Cascao, making her the first person with Down syndrome to earn the rank in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
The Reardan High graduate’s promotion came after years of consistent training and testing herself under competition pressure. Weed, who has run his Spokane academy for fifteen years, made it clear the belt wasn’t ceremonial.
“I was telling Rachel when she got her black belt, it’s so easy when somebody is in her certain situation to almost be like, ‘OK, I’ve seen enough. It’s good enough.’ … But you don’t get to find out what they’re capable of unless you push them to show it,”
he explained.
Burns said she appreciated the demanding standard.
“I needed to be more tough. I learned a lot from James Weed,”
she said, recalling how competition forced her to confront nerves and self-doubt.
“I would get over with my nerves from competing, then just face the fear in the eye.”
Weed said her refusal to back down became a motivator for others. Beyond her own training, Burns often greets newcomers and volunteers to partner with them.
“She can change the room,”
Weed noted.
Her mother Judy remembered their early days on the mats with humor.
“We walked to the door, and the guys looked at us like, ‘What are those people doing with blue belts?’ It was funny. And then we realized we had to start with a white belt.”
For Burns, jiu-jitsu has been a process of growth.
“People can change. It just takes them longer to change,”
she said. Weed echoed the sentiment, pointing out that obstacles come in different forms for everyone.
“Although she’s differently abled, we’re all differently abled. Down syndrome is the cards she was dealt,”
he said.
Burns now trains at least once a week and continues to build on her journey.
“I am proud to be a black belt at James Weed’s gym,”
she said.
