The future of jiu-jitsu looks bright with promising athletes putting on spirited displays on the final day of the children’s event as the focus now turns to today’s (Thursday) Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship for adults.
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The UAE continued their dominance by adding to their rich haul of medals with 21 gold, 23 silver and 49 bronze, to end their campaign with a best ever tally of 359 medals at Abu Dhabi’s IPIC Arena. More than 500 competitors aged between 15-17 took part across 54 divisions yesterday.
Among the notable winners was Hamad Eissa Al Balooshi, a physically challenged athlete, who overcame Zayed Ali Aljaberi in the 46.5kg blue belt division.
The 18-year-old was carried on the shoulders of his team-mates following the victory, which was witnessed by many of his friends.
He said: “It feels great to win gold. I had to work hard but my training paid off.”
Coach Rafael Nascimento predicts a bright future for Al Balooshi, saying: “I don’t see any reason why he can’t perform at the top [level]; he works really hard on his fitness and technique.
Athletes from all over the world flock to AD to compete for #ADWPJJC2015 “World Champion” https://t.co/m57iXTgZA8 pic.twitter.com/qPMWdhEDpo
— Abu Dhabi Warriors (@ADWarriors) April 14, 2015
“It’s an example for other people to take up the sport,” he said.
Meanwhile, having won gold at the European Junior Championship in Portugal in January and at the Junior World Championships in Greece last month, Ahmed Al Rejaibi missed out on his first Abu Dhabi gold.
The 16-year-old was disqualified in the 61.5kg blue belt division bout.
He said: “I was winning 11-0, then my opponent tried to do a submission on me and I escaped the wrong way which earned me the disqualification. It’s frustrating but it will make me work harder.”
Celebrating for the third straight year was Saaed Ahmed Al Haj, adding another gold to his trophy cabinet in the 76kg blue belt category.
The hosts will today be hoping to emulate the juniors when the three-day event for adults gets under way.
Congratulations to female winners of today’s competitions, wishing all participants luck in upcoming championships pic.twitter.com/ePtAkvfwNV
— UAEJJF (@uaejjf) April 20, 2015
The UAE’s top-ranked Faisal Al Ketbi will make his competition debut in the U-95kg black belt division, 12 months after winning gold in the brown category.
“It will be a first experience for me in the black belt [class]. I expect to do well because my training has gone very well,” said Al Ketbi.
“I want to gain a lot of experience and I would love to win the gold medal; that is a challenge in itself which I’m ready for.”
Marcus Almeida and Gabrielle Garcia will seek to defend their men’s and women’s titles.
Both have a rich history in the tournament, with 25-year-old Almeida looking for a hat-trick of gold medals while Garcia will be eyeing her fifth straight triumph in the capital.
