After giving up the chance of a gold medal in Friday’s opening day of competition, the UAE’s Faisal Al Ketbi was free to contest – and win – the final in the absolute class at the inaugural Asian Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan on Saturday.
Al Ketbi has forfeited three previous finals to Emirati teammates, conceding walkovers to Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi in the absolute class in both the Asian Beach Games in Vietnam and the inaugural Asian Beach Championship in Sri Lanka. He did so again in Ashgabat on Friday, to Zayed Al Kaabi in the 94-kilogramme weight class.
“I want to reiterate our strategy when we have two entered in the same weight is for both to reach the final. And after achieving that objective it doesn’t matter who wins the gold as long as it is for the UAE,” Al Ketbi said Friday.
• Day 1: The UAE dominate opening day of inaugural Asian Jiu-Jitsu Championship
With Al Ketbi’s gold on Saturday, the UAE added a silver and two bronze to round off the two-day championship with three gold, three silver and two bronze to top the medals table in the men’s competition of 24 countries.
Zayed Al Mansouri claimed silver in the 62kg final while Talib Al Kirbi (69kg) and Al Hammadi (open) took bronze.
The UAE clinched two gold and two silver on the opening day. Al Hammadi and Al Kaabi bagged gold with Al Ketbi and Mohammed Al Qubaisi picking up silver medals.
“To return with eight medals from a squad of nine is an outstanding result for the UAE,” Al Ketbi said.
“It is the third time we have topped the medal’s table in an Asian championship. I must say it wasn’t easy out there. The competition was very tough with the bar raised at every event at this level.”
Al Ketbi praised UAE jiu-jitsu’s main patron, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
“Sheikh Mohammed’s unstinted support for the sport in the country has been the overwhelming factor for the success we are enjoying now,” said Al Ketbi, the first Emirati to receive the black belt in jiu-jitsu.
There are more than 70,000 Emirati girls and boys actively practicing in the sport since jiu-jitsu was included in the public school’s curriculum in 2008 in association with the Abu Dhabi Education Council.
According to Abdulmunam Al Hashmi, chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, the numbers overall actively practicing the sport has reached 100,000.
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