Dubai: Marize Coetzer and Saeed Bilal topped the women and youth categories at the end of the UAE Open taekwondo Championships held in Umm Suqueim yesterday.

Coetzer secured a 5-4 win against Kristina Moore for the women's crown, while Saeed Bilal beat Sinha Siddiqui to win the youth U-75kgs section.

Coetzer, a black belt, had things in control in her final fight against Moore. She was on the offensive in the opening round, while Moore did well to put up a solid defence.

"I love taekwondo and it has contributed so much in defining my life," Coetzer said.

"There is discipline and sport blending as one, and I wish more and more people come forward and start practising this sport," she added.

This was the first outing for Moore, and she looked a bit tentative against a more-experienced opponent. "I was nervous, but it has been a good experience for me," Moore said.

Besides competitions for the men and women, the day started with bouts for the junior boys and girls in several age and weight categories.

Coming up with an impressive display were five-year-old Rarf Jahad, Haji Ebrahim and Mohammad Abdul Jaleel as they walked away with the best player awards in their sections.

"This is the first time that we are organising a competition of this nature. And I hope we can stage similar competitions every month, if need be to promote this sport," stated organiser Abdul Jaleel.

"The aim is to promote martial arts as it is such a healthy way of living especially for these youngsters," stated Burhan Al Hashemi of sponsors Caltex-Eppco.

"Such competitions will go a long way in raising the confidence levels of these athletes, and at the end of it all, we will have athletes who will be ready to represent the country at the international stage," said Girish Dhanraj from DKC.

This is the first time that such an open competition is being held in the UAE. The championship was organised by Dubai Karate Centre (DKC) at the Al Manarah Sports Hall in Umm Suqueim.

The competition was opened by Shaikh Maktoum Bin Saeed Al Thani Al Maktoum. More than 120 athletes from 13 clubs participated from all over the UAE.