Faisal Al Ketbi and Talib Al Kirbi retained their Asian Beach Games titles as the UAE stamped their mark in the sport by ending Sunday’s opening day of the jiu-jitsu competition in Vietnam with three gold, a silver and two bronze medals.
Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi bagged the other gold in the over 94-kilogram weight division.
Khalfan Belhoul (69kg) took silver, while Saud Al Hammadi (69kg) and Wadima Al Yafei (45kg) – the first Emirati female to win a medal at the Games – claimed bronze.
Al Ketbi, who won a double gold in Phuket two years ago when jiu-jitsu was first introduced at the Asian Beach Games, is aiming for a repeat of that feat in the fifth staging of the event in Danang, Vietnam.
“I’m glad I won my weight division but I’ll be gutted if I can’t complete the double,” he said after coming out best in the over-69kg weight division.
“Of course it’s not going to be an easy task to achieve the double as I have to fight against guys heavier than me in the absolute class.
“I have done it before and I’m pretty confident I can do it again.”
Al Ketbi was the UAE’s main gold medal hope along with Yahia Al Hammadi, as they travelled to Vietnam after winning five gold medals between them in last month’s inaugural Asian Jiu-Jitsu Beach Championships in Sri Lanka, a dress rehearsal for the fifth staging of the Beach Games.
Al Hammadi vowed more was to come from him after claiming his first gold at the Games.
“It is still very early in the season, to enjoy such success was really overwhelming,” he said.
“I can only wish that more is to come from me with so many competitions both locally and internationally in my radar.
“But for the moment I will just concentrate on my next task here in Vietnam.”
The UAE won four gold, two silver and three bronze in the six championship divisions for men and three for women when jiu-jitsu made its debut at the 2014 Asian Beach Games in Phuket.
With 18 gold medals up for grabs in Vietnam, the UAE are hoping to add several more medals than their previous achievement.
They are also well represented with 13 in the men’s events and 10 in the women’s.
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