The National reported that the UAE won six medals across all sports that day. Jiu-jitsu supplied most of them. The team opened its campaign at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya 2026 with three golds and two silvers.
In the men's 62kg final, Khaled Al Shehhi beat teammate Omar Al Suwaidi. In the women's 48kg final, Balqees Abdulla defeated Al Anoud Al Harbi. Two finals. Four medals. Ahmed Khalifa Andeez claimed the UAE's third gold in the men's 69kg division. WAM confirmed the three victories and both all-Emirati finals.
JJIF president Panagiotis Theodoropoulos said the UAE's performance showed a high technical level, discipline and professionalism, and described the country as a global hub for jiu-jitsu development.
Two finals were UAE-versus-UAE
The UAE took both medals in each of those weight classes. Al Suwaidi and Al Harbi won silver. Al Shehhi and Abdulla took gold. Andeez's win gave the team its third title of the day.
All five medals came in jiu-jitsu. On 2 October, the team added two more jiu-jitsu golds and a bronze. That brought its jiu-jitsu total to eight and its overall Asian Games tally to 12.
The UAE's final jiu-jitsu medal tally was five golds, two silvers and one bronze. Gold went to Balqees Abdulla (48kg), Asma Alhosani (52kg), Khaled Al Shehhi (62kg), Ahmed Andeez (69kg) and Mahdi Al Awlaqi (77kg); Al Anoud Al Harbi (48kg) and Omar Al Suwaidi (62kg) won silver, while Amaar Alhosani (94kg) took bronze.
Officials credit preparation and team support
Mohammed Salem Al Dhaheri, vice-president of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts Federation and head of the national team delegation, praised the preparation behind the campaign. He also commended the athletes' discipline and competitive spirit. Sharjah24 reported that Al Dhaheri credited federation president Abdulmunem Al Sayed Mohammed Al Hashemi with overseeing preparations. He said the athletes would try to add more medals over the next two days.
Yusuf Al Batrān pointed to the athletes' sustained work and the support of their families. He also praised the coaching and administrative staff. Al Shehhi said his gold came after years of preparation. He said the all-UAE final showed how far the national programme had come. Al Harbi said reaching the final alongside Abdulla reflected the progress of women's jiu-jitsu in the UAE.
UAE CUE Sports has also covered the UAE's wider combat-sports calendar, including the RAF Abu Dhabi title bout. At the Asian Games, UAE athletes secured both places in two jiu-jitsu finals.
More jiu-jitsu events remain
Further jiu-jitsu events remained after the opening day. The programme was due to conclude on Saturday, giving the UAE team more chances to add to its medal tally.
The team finished the jiu-jitsu competition with a record eight medals: five golds, two silvers and one bronze. WAM reported the final tally. The National called it the UAE team's best-ever Asian Games performance. The opening-day haul had already shown the team's strength in both men's and women's divisions. The later results completed the campaign.
