Youth kick off inaugural Abu Dhabi jiu-jitsu competition
Sultan Al Muhairi had never fought in a competition before, but on Wednesday the youngster found himself on a mat ready to take on an opponent as more than 100 people looked on.
Sultan was among 22 novice jiu-jitsu pupils, boys and girls between the ages of six and 11, competing in the inaugural Aldar Academies Jiu-Jitsu Cup, the first of its kind in Abu Dhabi.
He faced Oscar Stickells from Al Mushrif Primary School, and all early signs pointed to a defeat for Sultan, as Oscar – perhaps fuelled by his teammates’ chants of “Oscar! Oscar! Oscar!” – appeared to dominate initially.
But Sultan was not ready to give up just yet. “Go, Sultan! Fight to get his leg,” his coach, Pedro De Miranda, yelled from the sidelines.
Sultan reached for Oscar’s right leg with his arms and knocked him to the mat with a quick, powerful sweep of his leg. Details
