Three UAE jiu-jitsu competitors were among the gold medallists at the first leg of the inaugural Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Grand Slam in Tokyo.
Naser Omar Barshid and Khalfan Belhoul led the way for the 14-member Emirati contingent, which returned with three gold, four silver and five bronze medals from the two-day competition at the Sumida City Gymnasium in Tokyo.
Barshid won the white belt 77-kilogramme category and Belhoul the purple 85kg category. Mohammed Al Qubaisi claimed the other gold in the Masters brown belt 77kg.
Faisal Al Ketbi had to settle for silver behind Brazilian Gregor Gracie in the black belt 94kg.
Taleb Saleh Al Kirbi, the other Emirati black belt, went down to Japan’s Daisuke Nakamura in the 69kg Masters final.
Japan topped the gold medal tally in the men’s division with 19 medals, followed by Brazil on 16. The United States won six, Great Britain three, Ghana two and France one.
In the women’s competition, Brazil led with four golds, followed by Italy (two) and Peru, Mongolia, the Philippines and Russia with one each.
The winners of the first Grand Slam event will carry forward their points to the next three legs in Los Angeles on October 18, Rio de Janeiro on December 5 and 6, and London on March 19 and 20 2016.
The competitors with the most points in each weight and belt category will receive a bonus prize at the completion of the Grand Slam.
“The competition was a great success and exceeded our expectations. This was a great experience for the UAE national team in terms of exposure,” said Abdulmunam Al Hashemi, chairman of the UAE Jiu-jitsu Federation.
“We are very happy with their performance and looking forward to seeing them excel in all the tournaments.”
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