Juvenile Al Kaabi belts up early for adult category after Ajman victory
Humaid Al Kaabi won his first open competition in the adult category at the Ajman International Pro Jiu-Jitsu Championship on Saturday.
The Emirati, 17, won gold in the 69-kilogramme blue belt after victories over a Kuwaiti and two Colombians before a meeting with compatriot Saeed Fahad in the final.
Al Kaabi won his first three fights by submission over Ibrahim Al Duwaisan, Yendy Cuadrado, Jerson Hernandez and got the better of his fellow Emirati 2-0 on points.
“I will be over-age for the juvenile category from January but an early start in the adult division will be good experience for me,” Al Kaabi said. The Emirati also added that he wants to make most of his time in the juvenile division and will compete in the juvenile category in both the Grand Slam Los Angeles (September 23-24) and Grand Slam Rio (November 1012).
In-between he will take part in the adult division in the Al Ain International on October.
“I follow the instructions from my coach [Brazilian Ramon Lemos] to make the most from the little time I have in the juvenile division,” said Al Kaabi, who won silver at the Grand Slam Tokyo.
“Obviously the Grand Slam is a lot harder. After Los Angeles and Rio, I have to compete in the adult category in Abu Dhabi and London.
“It’s going to be a tough 2018 for me but I’m preparing for it.”
Al Kaabi has excelled for the national team in the juvenile division, winning medals in Madrid and Athens earlier this year, before his first gold in the Abu Dhabi World Youth Championship in April. He began the new season winning gold in the juvenile category in the Asian Championship in Vietnam last month.
Meanwhile in the women’s division in Ajman, Wadima Al Yafei, Mahra Al Hanaei and Mouza Al Hammadi from the UAE women’s jiu-jitsu national team had positive outings before they fly out for the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat next week.
The trio emerged as winners in their respective weight divisions in the blue belt juvenile category.
Brazilian Paulo Pinto completed a double gold in the 108kg black belt Masters 1. He got the better of compatriot Andre Nascimento in the No-Gi (without the traditional Kimono) on Friday and outclassed Eric Marques in an all-Brazilian final the following day.
The two-day competition drew 424 fighters who were vying for 84 gold medals.