UAE win Jiu-Jitsu World Championship for 4th year in row

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia: The UAE national jiu-jitsu team successfully defended its crown at the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship, held in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar, to register a fourth consecutive title.

The athletes, affectionately called Jiu-Jitsu falcons, secured an impressive eight gold, four silver, and two bronze medals, outperforming Sweden, which finished in second place, and Thailand, which came in third.

The championship took place from July 15 to 20, with more than 40 countries participating. On the final day, the UAE national team members added six medals — four gold and two silver.

Building on the team’s performances on the first two days of the championship, Hamda Al-Shekeili (48 kg) gave a strong start to the team on Thursday and was soon joined by Shamma Al-Kalbani (63 kg), Theyab Al-Nuaimi (56 kg), and Mahdi Al-Awlaki (77 kg), all gaining gold medals.

Omar Al-Suwaidi (56 kg) and Faraj Al-Awlaki (77 kg) added to the tally with silvers.

Abdel Moneim Al-Hashemi, chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, president of the Asian Ju-Jitsu Union, and senior vice president of the International Jiu-Jitsu Federation, dedicated the team’s achievements to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, and Vice President, Prime Minister, and ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum.

Al-Hashemi congratulated the team for its outstanding performance and praised the efforts of the technical and administrative staff during a recent training camp in Sweden.

He said: “The championship witnessed numerous achievements, especially the emergence of many talents who performed exceptionally well.

“It was also evident in the remarkable prowess of the Emirati girls, once again demonstrating that with