Wadima Al Yafei was deemed a winner even before she took to the mat. Appearing at the Al Ain Kids Jiu-Jitsu International she brushed aside all opposition to take the gold medal in the blue belt 52-kilogramme weight division.
It wasn’t a surprising feat for the grade 12 pupil from Al Ain, after creating history by becoming the first Emirati female to win a medal at the senior level outside the country.
Wadima won the solitary medal for the UAE in the female category at the fifth Asian Beach Games in Vietnam last month, returning with a bronze in the 45kg weight category.
“This was obviously easier but in combat sport you never know what to expect. The competition at whatever level is tough and I’m glad I came out a winner from this event,” she said.
“For me, training with the national team and competing against some of the elite women athletes has given me the experience and confidence. Perhaps my reputation may have also been a factor.”
The Al Ain Kids International held at the Al Ain University auditorium over the weekend drew more than 2,500 entries from both boys and girls.
There were 65 gold medals up for grabs in the competition for girls that numbered nearly 1,000 competitors.
The Emirati girls won 62 of those finals with the remaining three taken by Paris Haddad of Australia in the white belt 48kg, Menatallah Abdelwahab of Egypt (yellow belt 63kg) and Angelina Sinistina of Uzbekistan (blue belt 82kg).
In the competition for boys, there were more than 75 finals on the second and final day on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the UAE national team are hoping for a medal haul in the Grand Slam Tokyo on Sunday.
The event for a purse of $105,000 has drawn 477 entries including 91 black belts from 30 countries.
The UAE have 12 entered, headed by Faisal Al Ketbi and Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi, the double gold medalist at the fifth Asian Beach Games in Vietnam last month.
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