ULAANBAATAR (WAM)
Eliza Litif of the UAE national judo team, top seed in the under-78kg category, won the gold medal at the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam, which concluded on Sunday in the Mongolian capital.
Litif delivered an impressive performance throughout the under-78kg competition, defeating Austria’s Elena Deng and Colombia’s Brenda Olaya in the preliminary rounds before overcoming Germany’s Alina Böhm in the semi-finals.
She then capped her campaign with victory over France’s Audrey Tcheuméo in the final to secure the gold medal.
Meanwhile, Dofar Kosov produced a strong display in the under-100kg category before being forced to withdraw through injury from the bronze-medal contest against Russia’s Idar Bifov.
Earlier in the competition, he recorded victories over Croatia’s Zlatko Kumric, Mongolia’s Khuderchuluun, ultimately finishing fourth.
Mohammed bin Thaaloob Al Darei, President of the UAE Judo Federation, praised the national team’s results at the tournament, highlighting their importance in securing additional ranking points towards qualification for the 2028 Olympic Games.
He also confirmed that preparations will continue for the UAE national team, currently ranked first in the Arab world, ahead of its participation in the Qingdao Grand Prix, to be hosted by the Chinese Judo Association in Qingdao from June 26 to 28.
The UAE squad will comprise 11 male and female athletes aiming to achieve further success at the event.