PARIS: The UAE national jiu-jitsu team showcased its dominance by winning an impressive 16 medals at the Grand Prix Paris Open 2023.
The team, sponsored by Mubadala, put on a strong performance, bagging 10 medals on the second day of the competitions alone, including two golds, three silvers and five bronzes.
Balqees Abdulkarim (45kg) and Abdulla Al-Kubaisi (94kg) led the way for the UAE team on Sunday, claiming gold and powering the team’s medal haul. Joining them on the podium were Aysha Al-Shamsi (45kg), Faraj Al-Awlaqi (77kg) and Hazza Farhan (94kg), who secured silver medals.
In addition, the team earned five bronze medals, won by Hamda Al-Shkeili (48kg), Asma Al-Hosani (52kg), Faisal Al-Ketbi (85kg), Saeed Al-Kubaisi (85kg) and Ammar Al-Hosani (94kg).
Fahad Ali Al-Shamsi, secretary general of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, praised the winners for their achievements, saying that they “always live up to the hopes and aspirations of the nation.”
He added: “The team’s performance during the festive period brought us happiness and joy. The sons and daughters of our country set the best examples by shouldering responsibilities and making valuable efforts to consolidate our nation’s leadership position in various sporting events.
“The team’s participation in the Grand Prix Paris Open 2023 came at the right time and showed that the technical level of the team is constantly evolving.
“They are fully prepared to face upcoming events with the same spirit, perseverance and determination, which will lead them to achieve more success and achievements in the global jiu-jitsu venues,” he added.
Yasser Al-Qubaisi, administrator of the team, said: “The team has performed brilliantly, even though our ambition was greater, especially in terms of gold medals.”
He added that the team’s ideal balance of technique and capability should propel them to achieve further success in the future.
Al-Qubaisi said: “We achieved our goals from participating in the tournament and our champions gained a lot in terms of experience. They performed very well in the current preparation stage, especially focusing on training and working hard to implement the instructions of the technical staff, in order to sustain development in their performance.”
Gold medalist Abdulkarim said: “I am very happy to have achieved this accomplishment and to have enhanced the country’s medal count in this international tournament. I succeeded in outperforming a number of experienced players by adhering to the directives and instructions of the technical staff. This tournament was an important preparatory step for upcoming tournaments, and we look forward to continuing the path of achievements.”
Meanwhile, Al-Kubaisi added: “Hearing the national anthem played 16 times on the podium is a clear indication of the development that jiu-jitsu has achieved in the UAE. UAE players have become a formidable presence in every tournament.”
