Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
The UAE National Team's Mariam Al Ali set the gold standard for the hosts and herself at the Mubadala Arena, securing the under-21 45kg title at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championships 2026 with two lightning-fast submission victories.
Al Ali's golden performance headlined a dominant display by the national team, sponsored by Mubadala Investment Company. The hosts collected 13 medals in the under-21 category, taking their tally for the tournament to 25 medals following the inclusion of results from the Under-14 World Cup.
Al Ali, a second-year cybersecurity student at Zayed University, needed less than a minute to dispatch her semi-final opponent before executing an equally swift submission to claim gold in the final.
"I was pretty happy with my performance today and I was pretty happy that I had the opportunity to gift my country the gold medal," Al Ali said following her victory. "In my semi-final, I won the fight in under a minute and same in my final, I was able to submit my opponent pretty quickly in the fight."
Rather than obsessing over video analysis of her opponents, Al Ali attributed her tactical execution to an intensive month-long training camp in Niwai with the national team.
"Honestly, I try to focus more on my game and setting my game instead of setting my opponent's game," she explained. "I was pretty confident with my game and my strength. We were in a camp for one month, training multiple times per day, so this gave me more confidence and it had sharpened a lot of things in my game mentally and physically."
Despite balancing the rigours of higher education with elite competition, Al Ali remains determined to collect further silverware, with another weight category contest looming on Thursday.
"It's hard [with studies], but if someone wants something, they can work hard for it and they can do it," Al Ali added. "I'm pretty happy, but I need to stay focused since I'm fighting again on Thursday. This boosts my confidence for me to hunt more for the gold medal."
Joining her on the podium were gold medalists Abdulrahman Mohammed (under 56kg), Ahmed Andes (under 69kg), Al Anoud Al Harbi (under 48kg), and Hareb Al Hammadi (under 62kg).
Silver medals were secured by Obaid Al Ketbi (under 56kg), Faisal Al Wahidi (under 69kg), Meera Al Hosani ( under 48kg), Abdulrahman Al Najjar (over 94kg), and Aisha Al Junaibi (under 63kg).
Saif Al Ameri (under 77kg), Dhiab Al Junaibi (under 94kg), and Hanin Al Khoury (under 57kg) earned bronze medals to round out an impressive day for the host nation.
Mohammed Al Dhaheri, Board Member of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts Federation, praised the depth of talent and preparation displayed by the young Emirati roster.
"We are proud of the outstanding performance and high fighting spirit displayed by our sons and daughters," Al Dhaheri said. "These medals represent the fruit of the players' and technical staff's continuous work, and the great support that jiu-jitsu receives from our wise leadership, which is the greatest motivation for our champions to continue excelling and achieving more accomplishments."
He added that competing against top global opposition offers invaluable international exposure for the development of young UAE athletes as they refine their skill sets for future competitions.
The action continues on Monday with the under-16 category matches, where the UAE squad will look to maintain their momentum and add to their impressive medal count.
Organised by the International Jiu-Jitsu Federation and hosted by the UAE Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts Federation, the marquee tournament runs at the Mubadala Arena until August 9.
