UAE jiu-jitsu wins two golds and a bronze at Asian Games
In short
The UAE Jiu-Jitsu National Team won two gold medals and one bronze at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Friday, taking its jiu-jitsu tally to eight medals: five golds, two silvers and one bronze. Mahdi Al Awlaqi won the men's 77kg title and Asma Al Hosani retained the women's 52kg title, while Amaar Al Hosani took men's 94kg bronze. The National and Emirates 24|7 reported the results lifted the UAE's overall Games tally to 12 medals, including a record seven golds.
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The UAE Jiu-Jitsu National Team won two gold medals and one bronze at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Friday, 2 October, taking its jiu-jitsu tally to eight medals: five golds, two silvers and one bronze, according to WAM, Aletihad, The National and Gulf News. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Mahdi Al Awlaqi won gold in the men's 77kg category, defeating Jordan's Mahmoud Jabr in the final. Asma Al Hosani retained the women's 52kg title with victory over South Korea's Eonju Im; the outlets noted she had made history at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023 as the first Emirati woman to win an Asian Games gold medal in martial arts. Amaar Al Hosani took bronze in the men's 94kg division, and The National reported he defeated compatriot Abdullah Al Qubaisi via repechage. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
The National and Emirates 24|7 reported the day's results lifted the UAE's overall Games tally to 12 medals, seven golds, four silvers and one bronze. Emirates 24|7 said the seven golds were a UAE record at a single Asian Games, surpassing the previous best of five at Hangzhou. Gulf News, in its earlier report, described the tally as eight medals, five golds, two silvers and a bronze, a figure that matches the jiu-jitsu team's total given by the other outlets. [ 1 , 2 , 6 ]
On Thursday, Khaled Al Shehhi, Ahmed Andeez and Balqees Abdulla won jiu-jitsu golds, with Aletihad and The National reporting that Al Shehhi beat compatriot Omar Al Suwaidi in the men's 62kg final and Abdulla beat Al Anoud Al Harbi in the women's 48kg final. The National also reported that judoka Kazbek Naguchev won the 73kg final against Uzbekistan's Shakhram Ahadov and that the UAE showjumping team took silver. [ 2 , 3 , 6 ]
Faris Mohammed Al Mutawa, Secretary General of the UAE Olympic Committee, said winning seven gold medals at a single Asian Games marked a significant milestone for UAE sport and reflected the progress of the country's athletes, Emirates 24|7 reported. He credited the athletes, technical and administrative teams and national sports federations, thanked H.H. Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Olympic Committee, and said the UAE's 165-strong delegation formed part of efforts to strengthen the country's sporting competitiveness, with attention turning to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games and Los Angeles 2028. The National reported that Panagiotis Theodoropoulos, president of the Ju-Jitsu International Federation, said the team's results reflected the country's position as a global hub for the sport and were the result of long-term institutional work based on a clear vision and strategy, according to WAM. [ 2 , 6 ]
The National later reported the team concluded its Asian Games campaign with eight medals, including a record five golds, and quoted Khaled Al Shehhi saying he was proud to have won his second consecutive title on his second Asian Games appearance and dedicating the gold to the UAE's leadership, his family, his coach and his national teammates, calling the medal “the start of a long journey of hard work”. WAM reported the same day that the jiu-jitsu team finished with a record five-gold haul, with matching reports from Emirates 24|7 and Aletihad. [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]
The outlets differed on one name: Aletihad and Emirates 24|7 listed the women's 48kg jiu-jitsu gold as won by Balqees Abdulla, while The National's follow-up named Balqees Al Hashmi. The jiu-jitsu competition continued on Saturday, the outlets reported. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 6 , 11 ]
Why it matters
The documents present the results as a national milestone: Emirates 24|7 reported the seven golds as a UAE record at a single Asian Games, and the UAE Olympic Committee official quoted in that report framed it as a significant step for Emirati sport. The National reported the jiu-jitsu team's five golds as part of a steady rise from two golds in Jakarta 2018 and four in Hangzhou 2023. Reach beyond the region is limited to followers of the Asian Games.
Key facts
- The UAE Jiu-Jitsu National Team won two gold medals and one bronze at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Friday, 2 October. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Mahdi Al Awlaqi won gold in the men's 77kg category, defeating Jordan's Mahmoud Jabr in the final. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- Asma Al Hosani retained the women's 52kg title with victory over South Korea's Eonju Im. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- Amaar Al Hosani secured bronze in the men's 94kg division. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- The results took the jiu-jitsu team's tally at the Games to eight medals: five golds, two silvers and one bronze. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 , 11 ]
- The National and Emirates 24|7 reported the UAE's overall Games tally at 12 medals, including seven golds. [ 2 , 6 ]
- Emirates 24|7 reported the seven golds were a UAE record at a single Asian Games, surpassing the previous best of five at Hangzhou. [ 6 ]
- The jiu-jitsu competition continued on Saturday. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The UAE won two jiu-jitsu golds and a bronze on Friday, 2 October, at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- Mahdi Al Awlaqi won the men's 77kg gold by defeating Jordan's Mahmoud Jabr in the final. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- Asma Al Hosani retained the women's 52kg title, defeating South Korea's Eonju Im. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- Asma Al Hosani had made history at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023 as the first Emirati woman to win an Asian Games gold medal in martial arts. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Amaar Al Hosani won bronze in the men's 94kg division. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- The jiu-jitsu team's tally at the Games stood at eight medals: five golds, two silvers and one bronze. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 , 11 ]
- The UAE's overall tally at the Games reached 12 medals, including seven golds, four silvers and one bronze. [ 2 , 6 ]
- The jiu-jitsu competition continued on Saturday. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the UAE's overall Games tally on Friday was eight medals or 12. Gulf News described the tally as eight medals, five golds, two silvers and a bronze, a figure that matches the jiu-jitsu team's total reported by other outlets, while The National and Emirates 24|7 put the overall tally at 12 medals including seven golds.
- The name of the women's 48kg jiu-jitsu gold medallist. Aletihad and Emirates 24|7 named her Balqees Abdulla, while The National's later report named her Balqees Al Hashmi.
- How Amaar Al Hosani reached the men's 94kg bronze medal. The National said he defeated compatriot Abdullah Al Qubaisi via repechage; no other document describes his route to the medal.
- The spelling of the men's 94kg bronze medallist's first name. Gulf News, The National, Aletihad and WAM wrote Amaar Al Hosani, while Emirates 24|7 wrote Ammar Al Hosani.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Gulf News reports the UAE jiu-jitsu team won two golds and a bronze on Friday, taking its tally to eight medals. [ 1 ]
- The National reports the two golds and a bronze and puts the UAE's overall tally at 12 medals, seven golds, four silvers and one bronze. [ 2 ]
- Aletihad reports the same three medals and the eight-medal jiu-jitsu tally. [ 3 ]
- WAM confirms the two golds and a bronze and the eight-medal jiu-jitsu tally. [ 4 ]
- WAM reports the UAE set an Asian Games gold-medal record at Aichi-Nagoya 2026. [ 5 ]
- Emirates 24|7 reports the record seven golds and details all UAE medallists at the Games. [ 6 ]
- WAM reports the jiu-jitsu team finished the Games with a record five-gold haul, followed by Emirates 24|7 and Aletihad. [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]
- The National reports the jiu-jitsu team concluded its campaign with eight medals including a record five golds, with comments from Khaled Al Shehhi. [ 11 ]