Abu Dhabi: The UAE national women’s team U-16 stole the spotlight on the second day of the 27th Jiu-Jitsu World Championship, capturing ten medals, including five gold, in the U-16 division. As the competitions on Sunday came to a close at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena in Zayed Sports City, the squad, sponsored by Mubadala Investment Company, was looking strong with 19 medals in their kitty.
Amna Alhosani (-36 Kg), Dana Albraiki (-40 Kg), Zamzam Alhammadi (-52 Kg), Alanood Alharbi (-48 Kg), and Haira Aldaheri (-32 Kg) led the Sunday’s haul by capturing gold. Shamsa Alameri (-48 Kg) and Alhanoof Almarzooqi (+63 KG) grabbed silver, while Mariam Ahmed (-44 Kg), Meera Alhosani (-40 Kg), and Maitha Almezaini (-52 Kg) took bronze.
9 medals
The women’s team performance comes close on the heels of a stunning show by the men’s team, who won nine medals in the under-16 division on the opening day on Saturday, including 2 gold, 2 and 5 bronze.
The Jiu-Jitsu Falcons, as they are affectionately referred to, produced an outstanding performance on the mats and demonstrated they were determined to defend the World Champions title secured last year.
Sheikh Khalid Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, attended the official opening ceremony of the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship on Saturday. The international championship, considered one of the most important events in the jiu-jitsu sporting calendar, will run until November 8.
The competitions were attended by Panagiotis Theodoropoulos, President of the Jiu-Jitsu International Federation (JJIF), Mohamed Salem Al Dhaheri, Vice-President of the UAEJJF, and Dajana Tanasijevic, Second Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia, in addition to several officials from the UAEJJF and JJIF and the delegations of participating nations.
Fahad Ali Al Shamsi, Secretary-General of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, hailed the team’s brilliant performance. “I want to appreciate the girls in the Under 16 division for their great performance and good spirit. They took out remarkable performance today, It was an amazing feat,” he said.
Strong start
“Overall, the UAE national team is off to a strong start at the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship. In just the first two days of the championship, they were able to bring home 19 medals. Their great performance today indicates their desire to retain the championship title from last year and to make all of us proud.”
Dana Albraiki of the UAE national team Under-16 division, gave the team a solid start by winning a gold medal in the Under-40kg weight class. “I can’t explain how thrilled I was when I saw my name and the final score on the screen. This impressive accomplishment at the start of my career was made possible by constant training and support from the technical team and coaches.”
Jessica Henriques, UAE women’s team coach, said: “Being the coach of the women’s national team makes me extremely proud of our team members. They have performed as well, thanks to their rigorous training and commitment. I congratulate the winners and, of course, the officials of the UAEJJF and the players’ families for all of their support.”
