UAE finish Ju-Jitsu World Youth Championships first for fourth consecutive time

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has topped the Ju-Jitsu International Federation (JJIF) World Youth Championships for the fourth year running.

A remarkable final day in the Kazakhstan capital of Astana saw the Emiratis win seven titles to take their total tally to 15 gold, 12 silver, and 19 bronze medals.

"Our athletes have secured 46 medals, a substantial lead over other teams that secured lower ranks," UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation technical director Mubarak Al Menhali said, as reported by The National News.

"The challenges presented in the competitions were undoubtedly formidable, yet our champions exemplified outstanding patience, persistence, and unwavering professionalism throughout each match."

Host nation Kazakhstan were the next best team with 13 golds ahead of Germany, Greece, and Romania.

Aysha Al Shamsi, Balqees Al Hashemi and Shamma Al Kalbani showed that the future is bright for UAE jiu-jitsu as they all prevailed in the under-21 event.

The trio also won titles at the senior World Championships in Mongolia last month.

"I can't put into words how amazing it feels to win and to have the national flag around me," said Al Hashemi, who won women's under-48-kilograms gold.

"I want to congratulate my teammates, and I’m really proud of how well we did in the whole tournament. 

"I want to dedicate this significant win to our wise leaders and the people of the Emirates.

"Additionally, to all the Emirati women who have achieved amazing things in various fields.

"They serve as great examples for women all around the world."

The four-day Championships drew more than 1,100 athletes from 44 countries.

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Owen Lloyd is a reporter at insidethegames.biz, having joined the team in 2021. Lloyd has previously worked with Badminton England at the All England Open Badminton Championships, covered the 2019 General Election and hosted a radio show on local station Voice FM. He graduated from Solent University in 2021 with a 2:1 in sports journalism, where his final project examined diversity in rowing.