UAE's Al Ketbi steals the show in Asian Jiu-Jitsu Championship

Abu Dhabi - The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Falcons squad features 23 of the country's best athletes from five jiu-jitsu clubs across the UAE

Faisal Al Ketbi of the UAE won the gold medal in the men's open under 85kg competition, while his UAE Falcons teammates claimed three bronze medals as the national team got their campaign off to a great start at the fourth Asian Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, a press release said.
At the Central Sports Palace, Al Ketbi showed his dominance at the mat, beating his rival from Kyrgyzstan 8-0, while Yahya Al Hammadi and Sultan Al Ali claimed bronze in the over 94 kg category and Mohamed Ali Alsuwaidi picked up a medal at under 69 kg weight.
The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Falcons squad features 23 of the country's best athletes from five jiu-jitsu clubs across the UAE, including Al Ain, Al Jazira, Al Wahda, Bani Yas and Team 777.
After claiming 14 medals at the recent Kazakhstan Jiu-Jitsu Grand Prix, the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Falcons were brimming with confidence heading to Mongolia.
With 349 entries from 21 nations across Asia, the event is shaping up to be the most competitive edition to date, demonstrating the growing strength and popularity of jiu-jitsu across the continent.
The high-profile opening ceremony was attended by Abdullah Abdul Rahman Al Tunaiji, the UAE Ambassador to Mongolia; Panagiotis Theodoropoulos, President of the International Jiu-Jitsu Federation; Fahad Ali Al Shamsi, Secretary-General of the Asian Jiu-Jitsu Federation; Erdenebaatar Khash-erdene, President of the Mongolia Jiu-Jitsu Association; Munkhbileg Enebish, Director of Physical Culture and Sports Policy Department of Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Sports of Mongolia; and representatives of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation.
Six UAE male stars were in action across four weight categories on day one and Jiu-Jitsu Asian Union general secretary Al Shamsi congratulated the UAE athletes on a successful opening day.
Al Ketbi dedicated his gold to the wise UAE leadership, stressing that it was the least he had to offer to the country, the people and the leadership. He put the difficult journey towards gold down to his desire to raise the UAE flag as a champion.
"We have highlighted that the UAE is always at the forefront of the Asian continent and this is what we are trying to accomplish on the mat from one tournament to another. The future is bright, and the UAE will achieve more Jiu-Jitsu continental and global triumphs," Al Ketbi said.