The UAE experienced a medal rush at the Asian Games on Friday, winning two golds and three silvers in the space of an hour.
Ali Al Lanjawi claimed the first gold after winning the Jet Ski Runabout Limited in Palembang, the capital of Indonesia’s South Sumatra province more than 600 kilometres from Jakarta. Moments later, Mahra Al Hanaei grabbed silver in the national capital after being beaten by Jessa Khan of Cambodia in the women’s 49-kilogram jiu-jitsu final.
Then fellow fighter Hamad Nawad celebrated his 18th birthday by providing the UAE with their second gold after winning the men’s 56kg final against national teammate Khalid Iskander Al Balushi, who limped out after injuring himself at the Jakarta Convention Centre. For his efforts, Al Balushi clinched the nation's second silver medal.
Talib Al Kirbi also had to settle for silver after being outclassed by Kyrgyzstan's Torokan Bagynbai Uulu in the men’s 69kg.
The UAE would have won a bronze medal, too, had Al Hanaei's teammate Wadima Al Yafei not lost to Vietnam's Thin Thanh Minh Duong.
Nawad over the moon
Nawad was thrilled to win a medal for his nation and said he intended to keep it somewhere prominent so that it served as a reminder to himself and his family of his exploits.
“I’m going to frame this medal and have it hung on the door of my home for everyone to see,” he smiled. “I called my mother [Mona] - who has been my main support - soon after I won. She was screaming with joy.
"They [his family] have been following my fights and I’m so happy for myself and my country.”
Nawad won the final by submission after a foot-lock on Al Balushi to whom he had lost in all three previous meetings.
“He’s a good friend of mine, but when I step on to the mat I don’t have any friends because I represent the country,” Nawad said.
Thankfully, no 'heart attack'
But Nawad almost did not make it to the summit clash.
He endured a few anxious moments shortly after the semi-final result was called in favour of his opponent, Mongolia's Erdenebaatar Ulzitogtokh, following which he called for a video referral.
Thankfully for Nawad, the referral confirmed an error from the referee, which meant the result had to be overturned, sending Nawad to the final.
“It was a refereeing mistake," he explained. "I passed guard before three seconds, but the referee didn’t take note of the time and awarded three points to my opponent. I was leading 2-0 at that point.
“We knew it was a mistake and waited for the fight to end to appeal. [But] it was an agonising wait. Had the result gone against me, I would have almost had a heart attack,” Nawad laughed.
Overall, a strong showing
Earlier, Al Kirbi overcame Abdulmalik Al Murdhi of Saudi Arabia 1-0 before going on to win 2-0 and 2-1 against Zhakshylyk Uranov of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakh Natay Kazhekhov, respectively, enroute to the final.
Al Balushi was particularly impressive in beating Hong Son Dao of Vietnam 2-0, before getting past Uzbek Doston Ruzziev 4-0 and then thoroughly outclassing Nurzan Seiduali of Kazakhstan 5-0 in the semi-finals.
Al Hanaei won her opening contest against Arifa Sanjar of Afghanistan. She then beat Bayarmaa Munkhgerel on the referee’s verdict after a scoreless result. She finished strongly by winning her semi-final over Thi Thanh Minh Duong 14-0.
The medal glut left Mohammed Al Marzooqi, spokesman for the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, a very pleased man.
“We had the UAE flag raised four times and [hearing the] national anthem [being played] is a very proud moment for us,” Al Marzooqi said.
“The medal-winning was inaugurated by a lady," he added, referring to Al Hanaei's silver, "and that’s a remarkable achievement for the Emirati women.”
Three more medals are up for grabs in the jiu-jitsu category on Saturday.
Footballers advance
The UAE's footballers progressed to the last eight after 4-3 victory over host Indonesia in a penalty shootout following a 2-2 deadlock at the Wibawa Mukti stadium on Friday.
Zayed Al Ameri scored twice from spot kicks but Indonesia came back to equalise both times, first through Alberto Goncalves da Costa on 52 minutes and then Stefano Lilipaly, to force the game into extra time.
They will play the winners of the Bangladesh-DPR Korea tie in the quarter-finals.
The 2010 Asian Games runner-up took the lead on 20 minutes after Andy Setyo Nugroho brought down Al Ameri and the forward made no mistake from the spot.
He put the UAE ahead again on 65 minutes but just when it looked like enough to book a place in the quarter-finals, the host struck four minutes into injury time.
In the shootout, Hussain Abdulla found the net after both David Maulana and Saddil Ramdani missed their spot kicks to send the UAE camp into celebrations.
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Asian Games round-up
Asian Games: Spotlight falls on jiu-jitsu team as UAE embrace medal expectations
Omar Al Fadhli: Asian Games jiu-jitsu gold 'will be the high point of my career'
Faisal Al Ketbi: Hoping hard work in LA will pay off at Asian Games in Indonesia
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Brief scoreline:
Wales 1
James 5'
Slovakia 0
Man of the Match: Dan James (Wales)
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
Credits
Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
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Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
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Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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If you go
The Flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Johannesburg from Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. Economy return tickets cost from Dh2,650, including taxes.
The trip
Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays (worldwidemotorhomingholidays.co.uk) operates fly-drive motorhome holidays in eight destinations, including South Africa. Its 14-day Kruger and the Battlefields itinerary starts from Dh17,500, including campgrounds, excursions, unit hire and flights. Bobo Campers has a range of RVs for hire, including the 4-berth Discoverer 4 from Dh600 per day.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Meydan race card
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh125,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,200m
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh170,000 (D) 1,900m
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 (D)1,200m
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
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The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
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Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
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Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
Normal People
Sally Rooney, Faber & Faber
The lowdown
Bohemian Rhapsody
Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
South Africa 66 (Tries: De Allende, Nkosi, Reinach (3), Gelant, Steyn, Brits, Willemse; Cons: Jantjies 8)
Canada 7 (Tries: Heaton; Cons: Nelson)
Key facilities
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- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
What is a calorie?
A food calorie, or kilocalorie, is a measure of nutritional energy generated from what is consumed.
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A kilocalorie represents a 1,000 true calories of energy.
Energy density figures are often quoted as calories per serving, with one gram of fat in food containing nine calories, and a gram of protein or carbohydrate providing about four.
Alcohol contains about seven calories a gram.
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Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes
Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes
Profile box
Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
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Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199