Thailand successfully defended its crown at the eighth Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championship, held at the Mubadala Arena in Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi, accumulating an impressive total of 11 gold medals. As the adult division competitions concluded on Sunday, the UAE continued their dominance in the Jiu-Jitsu discipline and secured the title for the fourth consecutive year.
On Sunday, the final day of the adult competition, the UAE Jiu-Jitsu National Team delivered a stellar performance, adding seven more medals to their tally. With a total of 18 medals, including 6 gold, 7 silver, and 5 bronze, they maintained their stronghold in Jiu-Jitsu category. Hazza Farhan (+94kg), Saeed Alkubaisi (85 kg), and Shamma Al Kalbani (63) secured gold for the hosts, on Sunday while Faraj Alawlaqi (85 kg), Bashayer Almatrooshi (63 kg) and Abdullah Alkubaisi (94 kg) claimed silver. Ammar Al Hosani (94 kg) won bronze.
Thailand’s outstanding performance enabled them to retain their title from the previous year, earning 13 gold, seven silver, and seven bronze medals across various disciplines such as Duo-Classic, Show, Jiu-Jitsu, and Jiu-Jitsu Fighting. Kazakhstan secured second place with 46 medals, including 12 gold, 18 silver, and 16 bronze.
Despite competing only in the Jiu-Jitsu discipline, the UAE Jiu-Jitsu National Team’s impressive showing earned them a commendable third-place finish overall.
The Championship, held under the patronage of Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, will run until May 8.
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The competitions on Sunday were attended by Panagiotis Theodoropoulos, President of the Jiu-Jitsu International Federation, Abdulmunem Alsayedmohamed Alhashmi, Chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, President of the Asian Jiu-Jitsu Union, and Senior Vice President of the International Jiu-Jitsu Federation, Mohamed Salem Al Dhaheri, Vice Chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, Youssef Al Batran, UAEJJF Board Member, and Fahad Al Shamsi, Secretary-General of the UAE and Asian Jiu-Jitsu Federations, as well as heads of national federations and members of delegations from participating countries.
Al Dhaheri praised the National Team for securing the continental title in Jiu-Jitsu for the fourth consecutive year.
“The Jiu-Jitsu National Team’s victory in the Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championship underscores the dedication and sacrifices of our athletes and technical staff across all levels over the past weeks. Their exceptional performance throughout the three days of competition culminated in another title win, reaffirming their continental dominance over the strongest Asian teams,” said Al Dhaheri and also highlighted that the high level of competition witnessed during the Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championship reflects unprecedented growth in terms of the development of the sport of jiu-jitsu.
Chanchai Suksuwan, President of the Jiu-Jitsu Association of Thailand, expressed his satisfaction with his team’s performance during the Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championship.
“Our team has been performing incredibly well. This is all the work we have done over the last few years to promote the sport and athletes in our country, which has brought the desired results. We have high hopes for the youth competitions as well.
“Jiu-jitsu is getting bigger and bigger every year in Thailand, which has hosted some of the major events such as the previous edition of the Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championship as well as the Thailand Jiu-Jitsu Grand Prix. We are working closely with the Jiu-Jitsu Asian Union and the Jiu-Jitsu International Federation to bring more events to our country,” concluded Suksuwan.
Shamma Al Kalbani who bagged gold in Adults Jiu-Jitsu Female -63 Kg, said, “We exerted additional effort during training to prepare ourselves to adapt to the conditions of the competition and smoothly transition between offensive and defensive techniques. These techniques have proved invaluable during the competition. This is a moment I will cherish for a long time.”
Phung Thi Hue of Vietnam, who secured gold in the Adults Jiu-Jitsu Fighting Female -45 Kg category, said that winning gold at the Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championship is an honour and a significant achievement that will be remembered for years to come. “This championship sets global standards for excellence, and I am glad I could be a part of it and win a medal,” concluded Thi.