The UAE national age-group judo team wrapped up its campaign at the Arab Open Judo Championships in Kuwait with an impressive tally of 29 medals, comprising nine golds, 10 silvers, and 10 bronzes. The tournament took place from October 5 to 9 at the Kuwait Club Sports Hall under the governance of the Arab Judo Federation.
Following a successful start by the cadet squad—which collected 14 medals on the opening days—the nation’s young men and women added 15 more medals to the total on the final day. In the young men’s division, Masoud Al Mismari (under-55kg), Abdulrahman Ganiev (under-60kg), and Rashid Nematov (under-81kg) swept gold medals in their respective weight classes. Mohammed Al Shamsi picked up a silver in the over-100kg division, while bronze medals were earned by Manea Al Zaabi (55kg), Hamid Al Shamsi (55kg), Hamdan Al Mazmi (73kg), Yousuf Al Awad (under-81kg), and Butti Al Hashemi (60kg).
The female athletes added six medals to the UAE’s total in the young women’s division. Five silver medals were secured by Aisha Al Mazrouei (44kg), Nouf Saeed (under-48kg), Hoor Yousuf (under-57kg), Hessa Al Zaabi (under-70kg), and Sara Johar (under-63kg). Meera Ahmed contributed a bronze medal in the 48kg division to round out the team’s record performance.
Celebrating the achievement, Mohammed bin Thaloub Al Derie, President of the UAE Judo Federation, commended the athletes and noted that the results reflect a promising pipeline of talent developed through intensive preparation, including an international training camp held in Tashkent. He confirmed that the federation will maintain its youth development schemes and work alongside local clubs to sharpen competitive standards for future international events.
