Arab News

ABU DHABI: The UAE jiu-jitsu national team enjoyed another standout performance on the sixth day of the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship, clinching four more medals, including one gold, one silver and two bronze.

In the adult competitions held at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena at Zayed Sports City, the team, sponsored by Mubadala Investment Company, improved their tally to 29 medals in total.

Khaled Al-Shehhi grab gold in the all-Emirati final in the 62kg weight class while Omar Al-Fadhli secured silver. They were joined on the podium by Hessa Al-Shamsi (48kg) and Saeed Al-Kubaisi (85kg) with bronze medals.

Praising the UAE national jiu-jitsu team’s performance, Youssef Al Batran, board member of the UAEJJF, said: “We are proud of this generation of champions who shows the highest levels of commitment, self-confidence and lack of fear of opponents, as they take on the mighty rivals from different parts of the world. The willpower and determination of our athletes are unparalleled. They have the uncompromising desire to improve the nation’s medal tally and retain the title.”

Marwan Ali Al-Kaabi noted that the championship provided the ideal environment for both the players and the spectators.

“As the UAEJJF’s partners, we have pledged to promote the sport that is becoming more and more popular among the Emirati community and all over the world. We will not hesitate to provide any form of support for the advancement of jiu-jitsu in the country and consolidating Abu Dhabi’s position as the global capital of the sport,” he said.

Al-Shehhi’s gold victory enhanced the national team’s prospects of retaining the World Championship title won last year.

“It is an amazing tournament. I am glad I could win all five fights today. I feel so proud to represent the UAE in the World Championship and win the medal. I met my friend Omar Al-Fadhli in the final. I want to congratulate him for the top-notch performance today,” said Al-Shehhi after winning the gold. 

Al-Fadhli, who is competing in his first world championship after earning the blackbelt, said: “I am incredibly proud of my brother Khaled for his outstanding performance today; he truly deserves the medal. The UAE is the ultimate winner. I am so grateful to everyone who has stood with us during this journey. I want to dedicate this medal to the visionary leadership of the UAE. Their limitless support is the best inspiration for us to move forward.”

Christopher Mueller, coach of the German jiu-jitsu team, predicted that his team will finish among the top three nations as the competition nears its conclusion. “My team is performing incredibly well; as of right now, we are ranked third in the world championship’s overall medal count. We all work as a team, strive to better ourselves, have fun together, and the teamwork is producing the intended outcomes.” he said.

“As a jiu-jitsu practitioner, I couldn’t be happier with how the sport of jiu-jitsu is growing. 

If you compare the sport with where it was a few years ago and where it is now, you can see the change,” he added.

Similar sentiments were also voiced by the coach for Greece, Dimitrios Marinakis, who praised the organizers for delivering such a “fantastic event.” 

“The Greece team is clearly on fire; they were great on the mats and won numerous gold medals. Abu Dhabi is, honestly, a terrific host city, I’m delighted we came here. We are expecting that the team will do well in the following competitions and win more medals” he said.