Dubai: The UAE's Haya Juma'a Sameer added yet another accolade to her collection when she picked up a gold medal at the 26th World Grado 2011 Open International Karate Championships in Italy last week.
Haya was effortless in her approach in the under-53kg category with emphatic 3-0 wins against her opponents from Italy and Croatia in the first two rounds.
In the quarter-final, she was pitted against an Italian who had the advantage of home crowd support, but Haya went on to win by a slender one-point margin and advance to a meeting against another Italian athlete.
Haya went on to overcome some tense moments during the fight before powering to another 3-0 decision en route to the final.
"The semi-final was keenly contested but Haya's superior experience and calm approach proved to be the decisive difference between the two," noted coach Sameer Juma'a.
Flurry of connections
In the final, Haya was stretched by her opponent from Slovenia especially in the beginning stages. But she held her nerve and came up with a flurry of connections in the third round to win 5-1 and complete yet another successful international outing this year.
Earlier in July, Haya had won gold in the under-59kg category at the fourth World Cup for Youth Under-18 in Athens, Greece.
"Haya has shown constant improvement in her approach to the sport and this gives her a distinct advantage," said Zeyad Abu Zahieh, who is part of the set-up at the Zabeel Club.
The 26th Grado Open International Karate Championships which was preceded by an open training camp held from August 22-28 with the participation of more than 1,400 elite athletes from all over the world.
Most of these athletes stayed back to participate in the competition held the following day.
Total support
Haya was grateful for the support and belief reposed in her by Shaikha Maitha Bint Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the karate and taekwondo teams at Zabeel Club. "She is capable of raising her game to the highest level and I believe she can go on to be among the best at the Olympics," Shaikha Maitha had said about Haya following her gold medal last July in Athens.
Haya started practicing martial arts from a very early age and she holds the record of winning the UAE Championship when she was a mere three-and-a-half years old.
Haya belongs to a family of athelets who have shone on the international stage. Her father Sameer is a former World Champion and presently the technical director at Zabeel Club, while her mother is a former Mediterranean Champion and current coach at Zabeel Club.
