Abu Dhabi: The second day of the World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship (WPJJC) saw Emirati fighters score several victories in the masters division.
The UAE picked up 13 medals in the masters, with three gold, four silver, and six bronze.
The blue purple master 1 division saw both Jaber Al-Darai and Taleb Saleh claim gold medals, at 82kg and 70kg respectively.
Three silver medals were also collected by Emirati fighters in the blue purple master 1 division. The 100kg category saw Hamad Al Dhuhouri pick up silver, in the 94kg category Abdulaziz Al-Jaberi also took silver, with Hassan Al-Rumaithi picking up the third silver medal in the 76kg category.
Shehab Ahmed Hawaii won the bronze medal in the 64kg category of the same belt division.
Eid Reehan took the third gold medal for the UAE in the blue purple master 2, 100+kg category, with Mohammad Naser Almusaabi and Ahmad Suhail Alketbi winning the bronze medals.
Saeed Al Khasooni picked up the bronze medal in the master 3, 88kg of the blue purple belt division, meanwhile.
The white master 2 division saw Emirati fighters collect three medals, with one silver medal, and two bronze medals.
Obaid Khami Al Kaabi won the silver medal in the 70kg category, while Mustafa Bashir Faraj and Abdulla Al Shamsi both won bronze medals at 88kg and 100+ kg respectively.
As well as Emirati fighters gaining success at the masters competition, several fighters belonging to UAE-based training academies also managed several victories, winning more than 30 medals in total.
The final day of the championship is set to take place on Saturday, with fighters from all belt divisions set to compete in open-weight competitions for their respective belt categories.
Local Emirati hero Faisal Al Ketbi will be looking to add more gold to his name on Saturday, having already secured the gold medal in the brown belt 100kg category.
The World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship has been a major success so far, with more than 7,000 people attending to watch the tournament being held at the First Gulf Bank Arena.
Visitors to the event will have the chance to enter a host of incredible contests and participate in a range of new activities created to entertain all.
One of the best weeks of live sport and free fun will include: an expanded fan experience, an enhanced spectator programme that includes sponsor activities, family events and interactive stands, and a raffle where all visitors will have the chance to win two cars from Al Tayer Motors, including a Jaguar XF 3.0SC Luxury and Land Rover LR2 HSE 2.0T and a chance to win a dream vacation courtesy of Etihad Holidays.
The holiday package includes two return economy class tickets from Abu Dhabi to The Maldives and three nights’ accommodation at the Holiday Island Resort Maldives.
A new addition this year are the online competitions for best photo and best video using the official Championship hashtag #WPJJC with cash prizes of Dh30,000. The best Instagram video of the tournament that garners the most likes will be awarded Dh10,000. On Twitter there will be two lucky winners of Dh10,000 each for the best picture in the FGB Arena with the most retweets.
For more information on the Abu Dhabi World Professional Championship 2014 please visit — www.uaejj.com.
— The writer is an intern at Gulf News
