Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi and Faisal Al Ketbi underlined their status as the jiu-jitsu powerhouses on the continent.
The two Emiratis reached the absolute division final on the third and final day of the jiu-jitsu competition at the fifth Asian Beach Games in Danang, Vietnam, on Tuesday.
In a repeat of the inaugural Asian Jiu-Jitsu Beach Championship in Sri Lanka, it was Al Hammadi who triumphed over his Emirati teammate to win his second gold medal in Vietnam. Al Ketbi achieved that feat two years ago when jiu-jitsu was first included in the fourth edition of the Games in Phuket, Thailand.
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The UAE topped the medals table in the men’s category, with Al Hammadi and Al Ketbi’s medals taking their tally to four gold, two silver and three bronze.
“With two entries allowed in each weight category and the absolute class the goal was for both of us to reach the final, which we managed to achieve,” said Al Ketbi who had earlier won his over 69 kilogramme weight division.
“Yahia has been outstanding in the recent competitions and fully deserved to take home the two gold medals. He has worked really hard since returning from injury.”
Al Hammadi had earlier won the 110kg final and battled through his three opponents from Iran, Pakistan and Jordan, the last two fights by submissions, to reach the absolute final.
“Faisal has been too kind to me and he has presented what was rightfully going to be his gold medal,” Al Hammadi said.
“To reach the final was my objective so we can win both the gold and silver that were up for grabs on the final day of the competition. Like in my own weight class, all the fights were tough with players from 20 countries competing for the medals.
“As a team our objective was to win as many medals as possible for our country. On that count, I think we have done quite well to top the medals table in the men’s division.”
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