Sheikha Maitha bags a silver as Brazilians dominate in Abu Dhabi

Denzil Pinto 07:27 25/04/2015
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  • Debutant: Sheikha Maitha won silver.

    Sheikha Maitha bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum rose to the occasion on her Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship debut, winning silver as the UAE secured 12 medals on the penultimate day yesterday.

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    The daughter of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, put on a spirited display but came short against Libya’s Odette Malkoun in the white belt +75kg final at Abu Dhabi’s IPIC Arena.

    It was a strong campaign by Sheikha Maitha who defeated Brazil’s Ana Paula Tofolorio in the first round before beating compatriot Shefaa Moosa Hasan in the semifinals.

    In action: Sheikha Maitha.

    She was one of 1,000 competitors to take to the mat and her performance capped a busy day where the UAE claimed three gold, six silver and three bronze medals while Brazil continued to dominate.

    Mohammed Al Qubaisi, Yahia Mansour, Musabbeh Mohamed Khatri triumphed in their men’s categories. Al Qubaisi put on a superb show (Purple Masters 1 75kg) while Mansour came out on top in the Purple Masters 1 +95kg.

    Among the silver medallists were Taleb Saleh (Brown Masters 1 65kg), Jassim Saeed Mubarak (White Blue Masters 2 75kg), Eid Reehan (Purple Masters 2 +95kg), Khalfan Belhoul (Blue 85kg) and Wayel Hilal Alnaqbi (White Blue Masters 2).

    For Al Qubaisi, it was his third gold in the capital after beating Russia’s Maksim Davydov by an unanimous points decision.

    Gold: Mohammed Al Qubaisi.

    The 30-year-old showed no signs of being under the pressure of the home crowd, showing great skill and technique.

    Describing his victory as a “proud moment” after overcoming an elbow injury earlier in his career, Al Qubaisi has set his sights on a gold double when he competes in the open weight division today.

    “I’m very happy and would like to thank all the people who came to support me,” he said. “I did very well and I am very proud to win this gold. Azzedine Taj (semi-final opponent) was very tough for me but I just performed better than him and did extremely well in the final.”

    Speaking of his chances in today’s open weight, he said: “I will try my best and it’s a very big challenge for me. Hopefully I can do well.”

    Medal success: Sheikha Maitha.

    And the UAE national team competitor, who practiced wrestling before jiu-jitsu, has strong ambitions to make his country proud.

    “I want to do something for my country. It is a big chance for me to compete in the World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship and my firm goal was to achieve first place," he added.

    “Now my other main goal is to win gold in the open weight. When I stopped competing, I felt I didn’t do anything for my country so I feel I want to do something and inspire the youth to take up jiu-jitsu.”

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