The team collected five golds, two silvers and one bronze across the jiu-jitsu competition, improving on the four gold medals won at Hangzhou 2023 and the two secured at Jakarta 2018.
Gold medals went to Balqees Al Hashmi in the women’s 48kg division, Khaled Al Shehhi in the men’s 62kg, Ahmed Andeez in the men’s 69kg, Mahdi Al Awlaqi in the men’s 77kg and Asma Al Hosani in the women’s 52kg. Al Anoud Al Harbi took silver at 48kg and Omar Al Suwaidi finished second at 62kg, while Amaar Al Hosani earned bronze in the men’s 94kg category.
The results also contributed heavily to a record Asian Games performance for the UAE across all sports. The country had reached seven gold medals and 12 medals overall by Friday, surpassing its previous best of five golds at Hangzhou. Five of those seven titles came from the jiu-jitsu squad.
The final additions to the jiu-jitsu tally came through Al Awlaqi and Asma Al Hosani, who won gold, and Amaar Al Hosani, who secured bronze. Al Awlaqi defeated Jordan’s Mahmoud Jabr 2-0 in the men’s 77kg final, while Asma Al Hosani beat South Korea’s Eonju Im 4-0 to retain the women’s 52kg crown.
Asma Al Hosani’s victory gave her a second successive Asian Games title. At Hangzhou, she became the first Emirati woman to win an Asian Games gold medal in martial arts, and her successful title defence in Japan added another gold to the UAE’s record campaign.
The foundations for the eight-medal total were laid on the opening day of jiu-jitsu competition, when UAE athletes won three golds and two silvers. Two finals were contested entirely by Emirati competitors, guaranteeing the country gold and silver in both divisions.
Al Shehhi retained his Asian Games title by defeating teammate Al Suwaidi in the men’s 62kg final. The victory made Al Shehhi a two-time Asian Games champion in the division. In the women’s 48kg final, Balqees Al Hashmi defeated Al Harbi, while Andeez won the men’s 69kg title.
Al Shehhi said after his victory that the medal represented the beginning of a longer period of work rather than an endpoint, while expressing pride in competing as part of the UAE contingent.
The five medals won on the opening jiu-jitsu day formed part of the UAE’s biggest single-day medal return at an Asian Games. The performances reflected the depth of a squad capable of placing two athletes in the final in two separate weight classes.
The opening-day sweep mattered because the 62kg and 48kg finals demonstrated strength beyond a single athlete. With teammates meeting for gold in both categories, the UAE had already secured four medals before those bouts were decided.
Friday broadened the medal spread into heavier divisions. Al Awlaqi’s 77kg title and Amaar Al Hosani’s 94kg bronze put the UAE on the podium across men’s weights, while Asma Al Hosani added a women’s gold to Al Hashmi’s title.
The jiu-jitsu haul accounted for two-thirds of the UAE’s 12 medals recorded across the Games by Friday and five of its seven gold medals at that point, making the sport central to the country’s improved Asian Games total.
Federation officials have attributed the sustained results to long-term athlete development and international competition exposure, while Aichi-Nagoya supplied a benchmark: eight podium finishes from the national squad.
The national team competes under the UAE Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts Federation, with Mohamed Salem Al Dhaheri, the federation’s vice-chairman, heading the delegation in Japan. UAE Ambassador to Japan Shihab Al Faheem was among officials attending the competition and medal ceremonies.
Jiu-jitsu has become one of the UAE’s most productive Asian Games disciplines since its inclusion in the programme. The progression from two gold medals in Jakarta to four at Hangzhou and five at Aichi-Nagoya represents three successive increases in the team’s title count.
