Abu Dhabi: Amani Al Hashemi burst into tears on seeing her son Nahyan Al Saeed win his maiden bout on the opening day of the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Cup at the brand new First Gulf Bank Arena at the Zayed Sports City on Wednesday.
Like Al Hashemi, this was the first competition for the wards of most parents and it meant a lot to them. A win or loss just didn’t matter and they were seen with handycams and cameras trying to capture the moment. It was heartwarming to see most parents keen on letting their kids know that they were there for them.
“My son just won, did you see that! It was his first competition and you can’t believe how much thrilled I am. I can’t imagine he has grown up so fast. These are tears of joy. My entire family is here to egg him on and he did well,” said Al Hashemi, hugging her husband tightly.
Ever since the sport of Jiu-Jitsu has been introduced in the UAE school curriculum, it has become popular and more kids have taken to the sport. “I can’t remember from when my son started liking the sport but he got selected for the school team. We just wanted to support him,” Al Hashemi, who has named her son after the President of the UAE.
Fourteen-year-old Fahad Omar Ziban, a Syrian expat, proudly sported his medal around his neck after winning gold in the Orange belt 62 kg category and was more thrilled as he had improved on his last year’s showing.
“This is the second time I’m on the podium here but this time it is gold and so I’m really happy,” said Ziban, a ninth standard student from Abdul Jaleel Al Fahim School who wants to carry his form into the World Championship.
“I want to do well in the World Championship in April here. I have been working really hard. I want to continue this sport and turn pro someday,” said Ziban, who also trains at the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation.
Russian-born Mohammad Abdul Rashid of Mazaya School overpowered all his opponents in the Junior White-Grey 38.5kg category to claim gold and he attributed his success to the training he was getting at school. “I’m feeling really proud. My father is there in the stands and he will be really happy. I want to continue to improve,” said a beaming Rashid, who is based in UAE since he was three.
14-year-old Emirati Zayed Saleh Al Kurbi from Al Gharbiya School won a bronze medal in the Yellow/Orange 38.5kg weight division but was pretty pleased with his showing as he had started training just a year back.
“I want to do well and keep up the good work. There are a lot of boys in training and they all enjoy the sport because it is given a lot of prominence. For instance, these fights were live on TV. This is something really great for us. I felt privileged to be on TV,” said Al Kurbi.
The second day’s action on Thursday will see more than 200 boys in the age group from 14-17 and girls 10-14
