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Bahrain team shine in UAE jiu jitsu event
BAHRAIN Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy team finished third overall in the third UAE Cup for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu which concluded recently in Abu Dhabi.

The team won two gold medals through 25-year-old Bahrain-based Frenchman Yann Chiffoulu in the under-65kg and open division at the two-day event to take third place with 23 points, eight points behind champions and hosts the UAE and two behind runners-up Jordan.

The tournament was held under the patronage of Shaikh Zayed bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, son of Abu Dhabi ruler Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

More than 90 jiu jitsu members from the UAE, Jordan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Australia, the US, Brazil, Indonesia, Egypt, Sudan, the UK, Sweden, Canada, Romania, Kuwait, Puerto Rico and Bahrain were in the fray.

The academy was represented by five members - Senna Monfaradi, Mohammed Mirza, Faisal Al Wazan, Hisham Noor and Chiffoulu - who took part in four different weight categories.

Academy coach and team manager Redha Monfaradi said he was delighted with the team's performance during the tournament which was organised for the third consecutive year.

"The academy members did just fine. They put up a good fight with some of the best jiu jitsu players from across the world," said Monfaradi who is also the founder of the academy and was the delegation head.

The delegation also included administrators Yasser Al Wazzan and Samer Al Shaikh.

"We claimed a total of 16 wins, including 10 by Chiffoulu in both the under-65kg and open divisions, two each by Senna Monfaradi and Faisal Al Wazan and one each from Mohammed Mirza and Hisham Noor," added Monfaradi.

"We are grateful to Bahrain Martial Arts Association president Shaikh Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulla Al Khalifa and judo committee chairman Khalid Al Hassan for their support to the team," said Monfaradi.

The academy chief also extended his appreciation to Caltex-Bahrain general manager Abdulmajeed Shafea and GCT chairman Jalal Al Najjar who sponsored the team for the tournament.

"We are presently training hard and will start an extensive practice camp in Bahrain in November for the fourth edition of this tournament to be held in December in Abu Dhabi," said Monfaradi.

The academy will be coached in the tournament by six-time world champion Marcello Garcia of Brazil who will be arriving in Bahrain in November to supervise the team's training programme.