Alyazyah Al Shehyari is on track to claim her first world gold after booking her place in the final round of her category in the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Youth Cup.
Considered as one of the UAE’s brightest prospects, Al Shehyari had spoken prior to the tournament of her hunger to end her four-year wait for a gold after being forced to miss last year’s event due to a leg injury.
And the 16-year-old could not have asked for a better start with three impressive bouts at a vibrant IPIC Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Angola’s Alexia Paiva now stands between her and what would be a memorable triumph, with the two set to meet this Saturday in the 61.5kg blue belt juvenile division.
In her first bout, she only needed less than a minute to end May Sherif Mahmoud’s hopes. She went even better in the second, defeating Thamna Al Derei in less than 30 seconds. She later faced her toughest opponent – Khawla Sidi Manta but did enough to prevail.
“I did well today as the first two fights were over in less than a minute. The third fight was perfect preparation for the final,” she said.
On Paiva, she added: “It will be a tough fight for sure but this time, I really want to win the title badly and I have a few days to prepare.”
Paiva is no stranger to the UAE, having won gold on her last visit to the capital, and she is relishing the opportunity of repeating the feat.
“It is my second time in the tour- nament and last year I had won the title,” she said. “The contest has become tough and all the fights were a toil. However, having made it to the finals, I’m confident that I can return with another gold.”
Making the step up: A collection of podium winners.
The duo were among many girls who shone on the opening day of the tournament.
With competitors from 47 nations featuring, the hosts did exceptionally well, winning 31 golds, 37 silvers and 70 bronzes as the white and grey belt titles were decided.
Among the winners was Meera Khalifa Alrashedi, who added to her medal collection after beating her familiar foe and friend – Hanna Al-Hinaai in the grey teen 34.5kg
division. “It is nice to win another medal. This is my fifth gold that I’ve won this year and it really feels good,” she said. “I’ve beaten her three times before so I was always confident of winning.”
The defeat marked the end of a memorable gold hat-trick for Al-Hinaai, whose sisters – Mahra and Maha were also competing.
Although Maha lost in the first round of her white blue juvenile -56kg clash, there was some good news with 15-year-old Mahra reaching the yellow, orange, green teen -54kg final on Saturday.
In the grey 54.5kg category, Haya Al Ahbabi knew she needed to over- come five opponents to take top honours.
And the 13-year-old got the job done by defeating her compatriot Alya Helal Aldhanhani.
“It really is a dream for me to win a gold medal in my home country,” said the Al Murijib School pupil. “It was certainly a long day for me because I had to fight five times. It was a bit tiring but it was very good practice for me.
“To compete against opponents who I’ve not faced is always challenging but it’s good to know where I stand. In the end, I just stuck to my strength and game plan and I was much stronger than my opponents today.”
The competition resumes on Monday with 1,179 boys taking to the mats.
