The Mubadala Investment Company-sponsored UAE national jiu-jitsu team once again demonstrated its dominance in the sport by taking home an incredible 16 medals at the Grand Prix Paris Open 2023. The team put on a fantastic display, winning 10 medals, including two golds, three silvers, and five bronzes, on just the second day of the events.
On Sunday, the UAE squad was led by Balqees Abdurlkarim (45 kg) and Abdulla Alkubaisi (94 kg), who both won gold to help the country’s medal total. Aysha Al Shamsi (45 kg), Faraj Alawlaqi (77 kg), and Hazza Farhan (94 kg), who each won silver medals, joined them on the podium. Hamda Alshkeili (48 kg), Asma Al Hosani (52 kg), Faisal Al Ketbi (85 kg), Saeed Al Kubaisi (85 kg), and Ammar Al Hosani (94 kg) also won bronze medals for the squad.
The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation Secretary General, Fahad Ali Al Shamsi, praised the champions for their success and emphasised that they consistently live up to the ambitions and aspirations of the country and are eager to shine on various occasions. “The team’s performance over the holiday season made us happy and joyful. The best role models are our nation’s sons and daughters, who take on duties and contribute significantly to maintaining our country’s place as the world’s best in a variety of sporting activities.
“The team’s participation in the Grand Prix Paris Open 2023 arrived at the perfect time and demonstrated how rapidly their technical proficiency is rising. They are ready to take on upcoming competitions with the same energy, tenacity, and resolve that has brought them success in the past, and this will help them continue to excel in jiu-jitsu competitions throughout the world, he added.
The team’s administrator, Yasser Al Qubaisi, stated that the second day’s results were satisfactory. Even if we had higher expectations, particularly in terms of gold medals, the team has excelled, he remarked. He also noted that the team is primarily made up of young guys and up-and-coming talent who has the ideal blend of skills and abilities to propel them to greater success in the following stage.
“We achieved our objectives by competing in the tournament, and our champions gained a great deal of experience,” Al Qubaisi continued. They did a great job during the current preparation stage, putting a lot of emphasis on training and working hard to carry out the technical staff’s directions in order to maintain improvement in their performance.
“I am very happy to have achieved this feat and to have increased the country’s medal count in this international competition,” Balqees Abdurlkarim remarked. I was able to outperform several seasoned players by following the guidelines and suggestions of the technical department. This competition served as a crucial building block for subsequent tournaments, and we anticipate building on our success.
Abdulla Alkubaisi responded by saying, “Hearing the national anthem performed on the podium 16 times is a clear indication of the development that Jiu-Jitsu has attained in the UAE. UAE athletes are now a dominant force in every competition.
