UAE top in Newaz as Thailand extend lead at Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championship

Emirati athletes continued their impressive showing at the eighth Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championship, adding four more medals on day 2 of the event. The hosts’ total medal tally now stands at 11 medals, including 3 gold, 4 silver, and 4 bronze.

The Championship, held under the patronage of Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, will run until May 8 at Mubadala Arena in Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi.

As the competitions for various disciplines including Duo-Classic, Show, Jiu-Jitsu Newaza, and Jiu-Jitsu Fighting continued on Saturday, Thailand is positioned on top of the overall medal tally with 22 medals, including 11 gold, 5 silver, and 6 bronze, followed by Kazakhstan in second place with 26 medals comprised of 8 gold, 8 silver, and 10 bronze. The UAE Jiu-Jitsu National Team, who are participating only in the newaza discipline, sit in third position overall and holds the number one spot in Newaza.

Shining for the hosts on Saturday were Muhrah Mahfoudh (70 kg) and Khaled Al Shehhi (62 kg), who secured silver, while Shamsa Al Ameri (57 kg) and Mohammed Al Suwaidi (69 kg) also performed admirably, winning bronze.

The competitions on Saturday were attended by Panagiotis Theodoropoulos, President of the Jiu-Jitsu International Federation; Abdulmunem Alsayedmohamed Alhashmi, Chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, President of the Asian Jiu-Jitsu Union, and Senior Vice President of the International Jiu-Jitsu Federation; Mohamed Salem Al Dhaheri, Vice Chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation; Youssef Al Batran, UAEJJF Board Member, and Fahad Al Shamsi, Secretary-General of the UAE and Asian Jiu-Jitsu Federations, as well as heads of national federations and members of delegations from participating countries.

Al Batran praised the National Team for its wonderful performance on Saturday and their success in moving one step closer to retaining the continental title.

“We’re proud of our National Team’s capabilities. Every tournament they enter showcases the genuine talent and winning spirit of our athletes. Today’s achievement, placing the UAE at the top of the medal table in the newaza discipline for the second continuous day, speaks volumes about the success of the UAEJJF’s strategy in attracting top coaches to the UAE and organising dedicated programmes to promote and develop the sport, ultimately producing champions.”

MD Saiful Islam, founder member of Bangladesh Jiu-Jitsu Association and chief coach, noted that Abu Dhabi is a source of inspiration for countries aspiring to advanced level of jiu-jitsu in their respective countries.

“We are committed to developing jiu-jitsu in our country, and we have laid out a roadmap that focuses on preparing and qualifying talents based on local training expertise. We are looking forward to taking advantage of partnerships with other national federations and participating in international tournaments such as the Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championship. We are doing everything within our limits to build a strong foundation for the future of jiu-jitsu in Bangladesh.”

Talking about her win on Saturday, Mahfoudh said: “Even though I was aiming for gold, I am happy with the results. Many hours of hard training and preparations led to this moment. I am grateful to the coaches and my teammates for their support. It’s always a proud moment to represent the country and win.”

Al Shehhi, who scooped silver, added: “It was a tough category I competed in today, and I faced strong opponents. I am glad I won silver. There’s no resting; it’s time to train more, keep the momentum going, and get ready for the next challenge.”

Kazakhstan’s Kanatbek Aslan, who won gold in the Adults Jiu-Jitsu Fighting Male -62 Kg, said: “I am happy to win a gold medal in the Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championship, especially here in Abu Dhabi, the world capital of jiu-jitsu. It was not an easy win. I want to thank the organisers and hosts for the wonderful event.”

Suntra Sooknatee of Thailand, who won gold in the Adults Jiu-Jitsu Fighting Male -85 Kg, added, “I have spent the last few months devoting myself to training to be ready to fight in this tournament, and we, as a team, focused on improving various aspects of our skill and technical level in the buildup to the event. All those efforts have come to fruition.”