Dubai: UAE skipper Shaikha Maitha Bint Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum led from the front to ensure a clean sweep for Zabeel Club as the national squad continued its build-up for next week's Gulf Women's' Games to be held in Abu Dhabi.
"This competition is a step in the right direction for us," Shaikha Maitha told Gulf News after the conclusion of the UAE Open Women's' Taekwondo Championships at the Al Wasl Club on Friday.
Shaikha Maitha won the over-67kg category after her opponent Khadija Al Hassoun suffered a bloodied nose midway through the second round and the UAE skipper leading 8-0. "This sort of competition is just about the right thing we need to prepare for the championships in Abu Dhabi," Shaikha Maitha added.
Friday's UAE-level championships that attracted nearly 70 athletes from clubs across the country, saw Zabeel Club dominate through Haya Juma'a Sameer, Faryal Zawad Al Mahnaei, Reem Sameer and Marah Zeyad in the youth category (14-17 years). And then later, it was Shaikha Maitha leading from the front as Lana Ali, Huda Gibran, Haya Juma'a Sameer and Randa Eman Ebrahim won golds in their respective weight divisions.
"We saw the different levels in a competition like this one. This is important for us as we get to see our strengths along with our weaknesses," she said.
Shaikha Maitha acknowledged that Friday's competition is not the best way to prepare for the championships in Abu Dhabi. "This is not the ideal step, but it is a very important step for us to take," Shaikha Maitha added.
Shaikha Maitha presented the trophies in the presence of Nasser Abdul Razaq Al Razooki, President, UAE Taekwondo and Karate Federation and members of the board of directors.
"We want to show our best ability and we are always out to improve ourselves. This competition is not enough for us to be well prepared for such an important championships. Not at least as much as we would like to be prepared," she noted.
"But hopefully after this competition our plan is to organise one or two training camps with athletes from very advanced countries coming here."
The competition was held in three categories, namely the junior girls (11-13 years), youth (14-17 years) and the seniors open. The Gulf Women's' Games will be held in Abu Dhabi from March 28 to April 1.
Results
Zabeel Club, unless mentioned:
Junior Girls (11-13 years) Below 27kgs: 1. Reem Zeyad, 2. Reem Al Ahli (Al Ain). Below 30kgs: 1. Brewan Eisa, 2. Meera Saleh (Al Ain). Below 33kgs: 1. Reem Najjar, 2. Shaikha Mubarak (Al Ain). Below 36kgs: 1. Arselina Fatima (University of Family Forum, Al Ain), 2. Heidi Alauddin. Below 43kgs: 1. Reem Sharaf, 2. Howrah Al Sayed. Below 51kgs: 1. Sewan Eisa, 2. Ameera Darwish. Above 51kgs: 1. Anoushka Baradikar, 2. Minna Mohammad Ghazal (Egyptian Club, Fujairah).
Youth (14-17 years) Below 44kgs: 1. Randa Hammoud (University of Family Forum, Al Ain), 2. Mariam Mustafa (Egyptian Club, Fujairah). Below 49kgs: 1. Haya Juma'a Sameer, 2. Yousra Hassan (Al Ain). Below 55kgs: 1. Marah Zeyad, 2. Naama Mohammad Ghazal (Egyptian Club, Fujairah). Below 63kgs: 1. Faryal Zawad Al Mahnaei, 2. Nabeela Mansour. Below 68kgs: 1. Reem Juma'a Sameer, 2. Khaira Khalafati.
Open Seniors: Below 49kgs: 1. Haya Juma'a Sameer, 2. Ghalia Askar (Al Ain). Below 53kgs: 1. Lana Ali, 2. Aisha Abdullah. Below 57kgs: 1. Huda Gibran, 2. Marah Zeyad. Below 67kgs: 1. Randa Eman Ebrahim, 2. Faryal Zawad Al Mahnaei. Above 67kgs: Shaikha Maitha Bint Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, 2. Khadija Al Hassoun.
