Talib Al Kirbi returned from retirement to win his first and the UAE’s second JJIF World Championship gold in the 'masters' category on the concluding day of the event at the Mubadala Arena on Sunday.
The Emirati, 36, emerged victorious in the 69kg masters-1 final against Romanian Remus Corbei on the referees’ decision after a 0-0 deadlock. It capped a great tournament for the UAE as they topped the medal tally in four categories – U18, U21, men’s and 'masters'.
“My federation told me I can still contribute to the UAE and asked me keep training, which I have been doing since I made my announcement to retire,” Al Kirbi said when asked of his return.
“So, I continued with my training and here I am winning gold for my country. It wasn’t a bad call after all, considering today’s result.”
Al Kirbi announced his retirement after the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship in April having failed to win the final for a fourth successive year.
“I wanted to take up another role as coach but that will now have to wait,” the double silver medallist at the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat and Jakarta 2018 Asian Games added.
“This is my third JJIF worlds but first time in masters-1 (for over 35). The first two (in Thailand in 2015 and Poland in 2017) were in the men’s division and I couldn’t get into the medal rounds.
“The competition in the masters is similar to the men’s section. A majority of the fighters are coming from the top flight, like me. It’s not easy to win here at this level.
“I had to come through four fights and the final was the toughest of them all. However, Alhamdulillah, I made it by having better control on my opponent.”
Obaid Al Kaabi bagged gold for the host with victory over Mohammed Abdulhameed of Egypt in the 69kg Masters-2.
The UAE rounded off the nine-day championship with 13 gold, 11 silver and 16 bronze medals in the world youth (U21) and juniors (U18) categories, and three golds in the men’s category. In the Masters section, they finished with two gold, three silver and four bronze medals.
“This is our best ever result in the JJIF World Championship in terms of medals won,” said the UAE’s Brazilian coach Ramon Lemos.
“I told everyone that we are going to be the best in the world and we have achieved it. I’m so happy.
“We topped the medal table in an U16 championship in Romania last month and now we have topped the table in the U18, U21, men’s and masters.
“It has been a massive team effort backed by the UAE federation. We have one of the best jiu-jitsu programmes in the world and the athletes have worked so hard to achieve the results. It’s been a remarkable team effort.”
The highlights of the championship undoubtedly were the gold medal won by Faisal Al Ketbi in the men’s 94kg, and the double golds of Omar Al Fadhli and Zayed Al Katheeri, in the men’s and youth 62kg and 56kg, respectively.
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
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Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 1
Mata 11'
Chelsea 1
Alonso 43'
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Gertrude Bell's life in focus
A feature film
At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.
A documentary
A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.
Books, letters and archives
Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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IF YOU GO
The flights
FlyDubai flies direct from Dubai to Skopje in five hours from Dh1,314 return including taxes. Hourly buses from Skopje to Ohrid take three hours.
The tours
English-speaking guided tours of Ohrid town and the surrounding area are organised by Cultura 365; these cost €90 (Dh386) for a one-day trip including driver and guide and €100 a day (Dh429) for two people.
The hotels
Villa St Sofija in the old town of Ohrid, twin room from $54 (Dh198) a night.
St Naum Monastery, on the lake 30km south of Ohrid town, has updated its pilgrims' quarters into a modern 3-star hotel, with rooms overlooking the monastery courtyard and lake. Double room from $60 (Dh 220) a night.
