UAE fighters delivered another great performance on Day 2 of the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship by racking up two more golds, a silver and a bronze in Ulan Bator on Wednesday.
Hazza Farhan and Khaled Al Shehhi claimed golds, while Shamsa Al Amri and Mohammed Al Suwaidi picked up silver and bronze respectively to take the country's tally to four golds, two silvers and two bronzes.
Farhan struck gold in the over 94-kilogramme category by defeating Alexander Sak of Germany and Al Shehhi added the other with victory over Alejandro Viviescas Jairo in the 62kg final.
Al Amri had to settle for silver after her defeat to Canadian Felecia Marceau in the women’s 57kg final while Al Suwaidi won bronze in the men’s 69kg weight.
“The training and facilities provided by our federation paved the way for UAE athletes to excel and take a leading role in the sport, boosting the country’s reputation in major tournaments like this,” Al Shehhi said.
“We are eager to learn from this achievement and are confident that it will further motivate us to intensify our preparations for upcoming competitions. We promise our fans that we will persistently strive for more titles and bring glory to the nation.”
The UAE topped the medals table in the last three world championship is aiming to retain their hold of the overall championship. They now head the medals table with four golds, two silvers and two bronzes with the championship going into the third and final day on Thursday.
Mubarak Al Menhali, director of the technical department at the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, was full of praise for the team’s performance.
“Today, our champions demonstrated brilliant performances against the elite international athletes, and the matches showcased a high level of technical expertise,” he said.
“It showed our experienced fighters reaching the podium and making significant contributions to enhance the country’s overall medal tally.
“The weight categories in which our male and female champions participated demanded a high level of competition, as anticipated by the coaching staff headed by Ramon Lemos.
“The athletes were trained accordingly, using new methods and techniques to improve their performance, and they strictly followed instructions, enabling them to overcome the most challenging moments in the fights.”
On Thursday, competitions will continue with weight categories including 56kg and 77kg for men, and 48kg and 63kg for women.
Omar Al Suwaidi, Theyab Al Nuaimi, Mahdi Al Awlaqi, Faraj Al Awlaqi, Hamda Al Shekeili, Sara Al Hammadi, and Shamma Al Kalbani will participate in these competitions.
Al Kalbani, the leading Emirati female competing in the 63kg weight category, expressed confidence in their team’s achievements.
“We pledge to do our best to win more medals and secure the championship title for the UAE. We are fully aware of the responsibility entrusted to us and are ready to face the challenge,” she said.
