UAE dominate on day one of World Jiu-Jitsu Children’s Cup

Denzil Pinto 08:51 21/04/2015
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  • A proud moment for competitors.

    A 10-year-old was among the winners as the UAE dominated with a rich haul of medals on the opening day of the World Jiu-Jitsu Children’s Cup in Abu Dhabi, yesterday.

    The UAE ended the day with 35 gold, 38 silver and 57 bronze medals after 968 girls from around the world showcased their jiu-jitsu skills in various weight and colour belt categories in front of 300 spectators at the IPIC Arena.

    In the blue division, the highest category on yesterday’s agenda, Reem Al Falahi was among the Emiratis to win gold. The 16-year-old, who won bronze at the American National Kids Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Los Angeles, sealed her fourth straight gold in the UAE capital with victory in the 61.5kg.

    “The fights were not easy of course, but I remained focused and went into each match trying my best,” said Al Falahi. “This is what I have learnt from my seven years of practising jiu-jitsu and now I want to continue training hard and keep on winning.”

    Ten-year-old Wadima Ali Alshamsi became one of the youngest winners after she beat Hanna Ali of Al Ain Jiu-Jitsu Cup in the white 34.5kg division. The Al Ma’ali school student put on a spirited display to come out on top and was delighted with her victory.

    She said: “I was in total control and once I put her down I didn’t allow her to break free. I just want to keep improving and will work hard to do well.”

    Another Emirati, Maha Saleh Hinaai of Al Ain Club, who won silver last year, went one better with gold in the blue belt 56.5kg. She had to overcome her good friend Asma Abdul Subaihi en route to victory which proved to be her toughest fight.

    “Subaihi had locked me in the early stages of the fight but I broke out from the side and then forced her into submission. Though I was a bit nervous in the beginning I gained my confidence and got my rhythm back and won,” beamed 16-year-old Hinaai.

    While the future looks bright for the UAE, there was success for the expats. It was a day to remember for the Depagnier family after sisters Madeleine and Violette sealed gold and silver medals.

    After Violette fell short in the final against UAE’s Noura Sultan Bloushi in the grey 42.5kg, Madeleine went one further by defeating Emirati Wadima Saeed Alyafei in the yellow, orange, green 46.5kg. It capped a remarkable year for the American after winning bronze in last year’s event and gold at the Al Ain Jiu-Jitsu Championship in October.

    “I’m very proud because I tried my best and it’s a great achievement. There were some really hard competitors and I came here mainly to gain more experience,” said the Al Ain resident.

    For Filippa Koski, her victory in the 51.5kg blue division was even more special given she travelled from Sweden. The 16-year-old who has competed in Europe, was surprised by the popularity of the sport in the UAE.

    She said: “The fights were exciting and were really tough. I would say it was as tough as the European competitions because the sport is very big in the UAE. I’m very surprised that jiu-jitsu is very popular because I’ve never had so many girls in my weight class before.”

    The competition will continue today with the boys category.

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