UAE complete successful Asian Jiu-Jitsu Championship campaign in Bahrain

The UAE topped the medals table at the sixth Asian Jiu-Jitsu Championship, wining three more golds to take their overall tally to 16 on the second and final day of competition at the National Stadium in Manama, Bahrain, on Tuesday.

Shamma Al Kalbani got the better of Thai Orapa Senatham in the women’s 63-kilogram category while Khaled Al Shehhi and Mohamed Al Amri completed UAE’s dominant performance by taking the men’s 62kg and 77kg finals, respectively.

Al Shehhi overcame Amirul Syafiq Bin Shah of Singapore while Emirati star Omar Al Fadhli had to settle for bronze in that division. Al Amri defeated Ala Aldin Al Khuzai of Jordan for the UAE’s eighth gold.

The UAE’s Hamda Al Shekheili also had to settle for silver behind Vietnamese Phung Thi Hue Vietnam in the women’s 45kg.

Maitha Shraim took bronze in the women’s 52kg behind Vietnam’s Durong Thi Thanh Minh and Rania Meqbel of Jordan.

UAE coach Ramon Lemos lauded the team’s performance in the year’s first international competition which produced eight gold, two silver and six bronze medals.

“To win eight finals out of the 13 weight divisions we took part in is really an outstanding effort,” the Brazilian said.

“It indeed is a fantastic start ahead of the World Games in the USA in July and the Asian Games in Hangzhou in September, the IJJF World Championship and the Abu Dhabi World Professional Championship in-between.

“For me, every competition the national team is taking part in, whatever status it may be, is important. We take one competition at a time and have a big pool of athletes to choose from.

“There is competition among the vast pool of athletes we have and that reflects on the results we achieve in the international arena.”

In the rest of the second day’s