ABU DHABI, 21st April, 2017 (WAM) -- The 9th Abu Dhabi World ProfessionalJiu-Jitsu Championship continued on Friday with the Emiratiplayers reaching new levels of achievement and proving themselves likenever before.

The first day of the weekend witnessed the second round of thequarter-finals and semi-finals in the men and women categories forbrown and black belts, as well as the final of the Masters 1 black andbrown belts.

Emirati fighters Faisal al Ketbi, Mohammed Al Qubaisi, Yahya AlHammadi and Ibrahim Al Hosani collectively won two gold medals aftershowing strong performances that thrilled the packed IPIC Arena.

The Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2017 is being held under the patronage of d His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, from 18th to 22nd April at Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi.

Brazil led the way after Fridays results were confirmed, with 21medals (9 gold, 6 silver, 6 bronze), the United States came secondwith four medals (1 gold, 3 bronze), Russia came third with threemedals (1 silver, two bronze), Australia came fourth with two medals(1 gold, 1 silver), United Kingdom came fifth with two medals (1silver, 1 bronze), the United Arab Emirates came sixth with two medals(both gold), and Sweden came seventh with one medal (gold).

Abdulmunam Al Hashemi, Chairman of UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, said, "Wethank God for the great success of this championship that waswitnessed by all those who attended today. The Abu Dhabi WorldProfessional Jiu Jitsu Championship has accomplished this outstandingsuccess because of the elite players who participated and thewonderful audience who came in big numbers to watch the championshipevery day.""The success of the youth players winning gold medals further shows the accomplishmentof the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federations strategy to raise a new generationthat loves jiu-jitsu from a young age. His Highness Sheikh Mohamed binZayed welcomed handicapped jiu-jitsu players and the idea was formedof adding one new category, the para jiu-jitsu, in this the ninthedition of the championship, in parallel with the UAEs Year ofGiving," Al Hashemi added.

After winning his semi-final in the weight category of 85kg andqualifying for the final tomorrow, Al Ketbi, UAEs captain andthe number one ranked fighter in the country, said, "It was a good dayand hopefully tomorrow will be the same. I tried my best, I followedmy coachs instructions and thanks to Allah we achieved the final."Saturdays crowds will witness the final fights and gold medal winnersbefore the championships concluding ceremony.

Tomorrows fixtures include: Yahya Al Hammadi and the Brazilian Fabio Nascimento, in the category of Masters 1 brown belts, weighing 110 kg.

Emirati Taleb Al Karbi against the Brazilian Thiago Marquez, in the Masters 1 category black belt, weighing 69 kg.

Emirati captain Faisal al Ketbi faces the Brazilian Claudio Calasans in the black belt adults men category.

Also on Saturday, 10 of the worlds most iconic jiu-jitsu competitors will compete as part of the Legends Challenge, showcasing their skills, talents and experience.

Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2017.