Al Ketbi completes a golden double as Brazilians dominate

Lily

B.R
Staff member
3145593493.jpg

Abu Dhabi: Faisal Al Ketbi completed a double while Shamsa Hassan became the first Emirati woman to win gold at the World Professional Jiu Jitsu Championship.

Ahmad Mousa completed the UAE's gold haul as the event concluded on Saturday night at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

Apart from the four gold medals, UAE fighters also won a silver and ten bronze medals to complete a memorable display against the best exponents of jiu jitsu the world has to offer.

The future also looks bright for the sport in the UAE, with the juniors winning 14 of the 27 titles on offer on the opening day of the three-day championship, which attracted 800 fighters from 48 countries.

However the bulk of the winners came from Brazil with 22-year-old Rodolfo Vieira leading a clean sweep of the medals in the black belt category.

Vieira repeated his victories from a year ago in the open and the 94kg categories.

"It feels great to come back here and again win two prestigious titles," he said.

"This is a very well-organised championship and almost all the top pros in the sport look forward to coming here."

Meanwhile, Al Ketbi regained the purple belt open title he won two years ago to add to his 100kg gold.

Proud moment

"This is a proud moment for me and my country," the 25-year-old said.

"Last year I was injured so it is fantastic to come back and win in front of such a supportive crowd.

"Jiu jitsu has certainly caught on here in the UAE and it is great to see the young kids take part in large numbers."

Shamsa got the better of Najla Mohammad in an all-UAE final in the white belt 54kg category.

The women's competition was also dominated by Brazilians, with Gabrielle Garcia winning both her weight category and the open class in the black belt division.
[/img][/COLOR]
 
Top