UAE open Jiu-Jitsu Youth World Championships with eight medals

The UAE picked up eight medals including three golds on the opening day of the Jiu-Jitsu International Federation (JJIF) Youth World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Tuesday.

Ahmed Al Shamsi claimed the first gold for the UAE in the 42kg division, followed by Obaid Al Ketbi and Harib Al Hammadi in the 50kg and 55kg categories in the U16 division.

Appearing in the age group division for the first time, the Emirati fighters displayed impressive skills to finish the day with three golds, two silver and three bronze in a solid start to the championship.

Salem Al Hamoud (+73kg) and Adnan Al Zarooni (60kg) won silver while Aysa Alblooshi (38kg), Hamdan Al Najar (46kg), and Abdulaziz Al Akidi (66kg) took bronze.

The UAE have topped the medals table in the last three editions and have travelled with a 86-member squad across four age groups.

“While the competition was tough, the feeling of winning today was simply indescribable,” Al Shamsi said after his win over Russian David Piranian, who was competing under the JJIF flag in the final.

“Winning this medal means that all the efforts we poured in over the past months have yielded the desired results, providing a motivating boost. Becoming a world champion means I’ll double my efforts, draw inspiration, give my utmost, and continue forging ahead.”

Al Ketbi added: "Standing on the top spot in a huge tournament like this is a really big achievement for me, especially because I've never competed at this level internationally before."

“We're super happy about this win, which shows how awesome the UAE is. We're proud that we could do what people hoped for from our group of champions. And we're hoping that this win is just the start of the UAE doing really well in the World