UAE Stars Eye More Glory After Dominating Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championship

Last updated: Wed 8 Mar 2023, 5:44 PM

Emirati athletes are jubilant after their historic display in the seventh Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championship held recently in Bangkok, Thailand. The national team grabbed 16 medals, including seven gold, five silver and four bronze.

Mohamed Ali Alsuwaidi, who defeated Kazakhstan's Nurzhan Batyrbekov in the final of the 69kg category, is delighted after securing the gold medal.

“I'm thrilled that I was able to win a gold medal for the UAE at the Asian Championship. I'm extremely proud and humbled. The feeling of listening to your nation's national anthem while the entire world is watching and raising the flag is incredible,” he told Khaleej Times.

Alsuwaidi's efforts, along with other national athletes', helped the UAE bag the continental title for the third consecutive year.

In the final, Ali Alsuwaidi prevailed over Batyrbekov in a dramatic encounter.

“The Asian Championship was unquestionably a difficult obstacle to overcome. In the finals, I faced an opponent from Kazakhstan. Yet, I was confident that I would prevail because we had worked so hard to prepare for this, and I wouldn't let the chance slip away so quickly,” he said.

The Philippines finished second with four gold medals and two bronze medals and South Korea came third with one gold medal, three silver medals, and four bronze medals.

“Overall, the Asian Championship was good and well-organised. Compared to last year, it has grown so much and shows how the sport of jiu-jitsu is reaching more people each passing day. The level of competitiveness has increased, and competitions are becoming more intense and fiercer, which is a good sign,” he said.

Apart from Ali Alsuwaidi, other six gold medal winners are Hamdah Al Shkeili (45 kg), Theyab Alnuaimi (56 kg), Omar Alfadli (62 kg), Shamma Alkalbani (63), Faisal Alkitbi (85 kg) and Abdullah Alkubaisi (94 kg).

Nine other athletes – 5 silver and 4 bronze – took the overall tally to 16 medals.

Abdullah Alkubaisi, who beat Kim Hee Dong from South Korea to capture the gold medal in the 94 kg division, is glad to have won his event at the championship.

“Nothing can match the feeling of winning medals for your country at an international competition,' Alkubaisi said.

'I want to express my gratitude to the UAEJJF officials, coaches, technical staff, and everyone else who supported us during our journey. We look forward to achieving more success like this for the UAE in the future.”

Meanwhile, Ali Alsuwaidi is now preparing for the Asian Games and Abu Dhabi World Pro.

“The results at the seventh Asian Champion are undoubtedly encouraging, and it demonstrates that the season, which includes the Asian Games in China and the World Championship in Mongolia, is off to a strong start,” the champion athlete said.

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