Emirati athletes shine in Jiu-Jitsu Championship at NAS Tournament

Emirati athletes excelled in the Jiu-Jitsu Championship, securing the highest number of medals in the competitions held as part of the 13th edition of the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament being held at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex.

Emirati athletes dominated the medal standings alongside their Brazilian counterparts in the Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

While the final results proved the superiority of the young Emirati schools in the junior and youth categories, it was a very strong display by the Brazilians in the various technical categories and weight classes, ensuring the championship resembled a mini-World Cup in this sport.

Mohammed Salem Al Dhaheri, Vice President of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, and Abdullah Al Zaabi, Director of Events at the Jiu-Jitsu Federation, crowned the winners of the top positions in the various categories.

Al Dhaheri insisted that this championship contributes to achieving the federation’s goals of expanding the base of participation and raising the readiness of players for international competitions in the future.

The championship saw the distribution of 46 medals across various categories (16 gold, 15 silver and 15 bronze), and the results reflected the significant effort invested in developing this sport locally at the grassroots level.

In the junior girls’ category (44 kg), Brazilian Manuela Souza took first place, followed by Emiratis Alyazia Al Remeithi and Mahra Badr in second and third place, respectively, confirming the strength of the Emirati female base in this sport.

In the 52kg junior girls’ category, Brazil continued its dominance with Isabella Shalabi winning gold, ahead of Russia’s Vera Kigel and Brazil’s Sofia Marinho. In the 63kg category, the UAE’s Haya Al Ahmar took first place, while India’s Farnaz Derakhshandeh finished second and Morocco’s Jannate Naji came in third. In the 75kg category, the UAE’s Buthaina Al Azeezi was simply too gold while helping herself to the gold.

In the junior boys’ competitions, the UAE’s dominance was evident with Saoud Al Balushi winning gold in the 46kg category, ahead of Brazil’s Vitor Rodrigues and Canada’s Aly Etman. In the 55kg category, Brazil’s Breno Pittizer won gold, ahead of France’s Ibrahim Abu Rabi and Egypt’s Ali Abdel Aziz.

Brazil also secured gold in the 66kg category through Jo?o Pedro Cosendey, while the 80kg gold went to the Netherlands’ Jamil Abdulwahid Moumni.

In the junior categories, the UAE was once a force to contend with as Shamma Mohammed Al Mansouri winning gold in the 44kg weight class, Aisha Al Hammadi topping in the 75kg class, Saif Al Balushi in the 52kg class, Hamdan Al Najjar in the 62kg class and Abdullah Andeez in the 73kg class. This impressive Emirati haul reflects the success of national programmes that have consistently aimed at developing the sport in schools and clubs.

The Nad Al Sheba Padel Championship for teams is nearing its decisive group stage with matches characterised by close competition along with a high level of skill, providing the audience with some impressive displays of talent.

In the first match, the UAE team secured a 2-1 victory over Bahrain. The UAE dominated from the outset, with the duo of Fares Al Janahi and Sergio Icardo winning in straight sets 6-0, 6-0. Despite Bahrain’s attempt to rally with a victory from the pairing of Ali Dawani and Hussein Dawani, the UAE ultimately prevailed thanks to Ignacio Villarino and Abdullah Al Abdullah securing a decisive 6-0, 6-1 win in the decider.

In one of the most exciting matches, Iran triumphed over Saudi Arabia 2-1. The sets were very close, with Iranians Arya Roghani and Ali Taghizadeh winning the opener.

Although Saudi Arabia’s Faisal Al Ribdi and Abdulrahman Al Azzam drew the teams on level terms, Iran ultimately managed to secure the third match and an overall victory.

Meanwhile, Egypt displayed a balanced and organised performance while powering to a 3-0 win over Lebanon.

The Egyptian players were characterised by their composure and high level of concentration, not dropping a single set in their three matches, making them strong contenders as the competition heads towards its business end.