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Marwan takes top honours

Sharjah - Hawraa claims under 55kg gold; Najar tops in men's under 67kg

International class karate returned to the UAE when the two-day West Asian Karate Championships for men and women took off at the Sharjah Ladies Club on Monday.
Giving the local supporters plenty to cheer about were pre-event medal contenders, Marwan Al Mazzmi and Hawraa Mohammed Al Ajmi who reigned supreme with a splendid show of agility and subtle skills when they subdued a strong field for the gold in the men's and women's championships.
In the kata competition there is no one-one sparring while kumite means the no-contact one on one bouts. Kata is a display of the skills one has attained over the years with an exhibition type of routines in fast sequences. There are several levels of achievements and skills, and a tournament of the type like the West Asian, sees levels 10-12 being attempted by the 2-3-4-5 dan black belt holders.
Speaking to the Khaleej Times, Maazmi said: "In this event the UAE have been having a good amount of success while we are still very young in terms of experience and skills at the international platform. But at the last Asian, I managed to beat some top karatekas from Japan and China which to date are my best shows."
Hawraa Mohammed Al Ajmi was the home side's second gold medallist in the pre lunch session when she outscored Jordan's Marwan Abbas 5-2 during her two minute encounter on the mat.
Hawraa, a black belt holder, said: "I manage to go into two to three days of intense training in karate apart from the time spent at the Women's Higher College of Technical Education in Al Nahda. My opponent in the final from Jordan had me in trouble with her short jabs and side swing kicks but I managed to defensively wear her down."
In an exciting men's under 67 kg category bout, Jordanian Bashar Al Najjar fought off the aggressive and technically solid Iranian Sayed Aamir with vital blows in the final seconds of the gold medal round. He got the main judge's verdict in the three-minute bout that saw full throttle action after Najjar's gums started to bleed, a minute before the final buzzer.
Technical manager of the Jordanian side Ebrahim Abu Elezam, said: "Sayed is very good with high jumps and feints. Bashar was able to fight back through his straight approach which I think took Sayed by surprise. A very good exhibition of karate it was for the gold medal."
Jordanian delegation chief Hind Hammoka, a former commandant with the Jordanian women's police, said: "Jordan is improving with each year in competitive karate as the federation and the government are systematically helping out with martial arts like judo, taekwondo and karate. Karate is most popular along with taekwondo among the public while the three forms are compulsory in army training."
The opening ceremony took place at 5pm at the venue after the post lunch sessions and before the night bouts.
The event is organised by the SLC-Women Sports Department in collaboration with the UAE Taekwondo and Karate Federation and the Sharjah Sports Council, under the supervision of the West Asian Karate Federation (WAKF).
Eight countries including hosts UAE are participating in this fourth men's and second women's WAKF sanctioned championship namely: Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and debutants Oman.
The men's kata will see competitions in weights -55, -60, -67, -75 and -84, and +85 kg, while the kata category for women will see competitions in weights -50, -61, -68, and +68 kg, along with collective men's contact competitions and collective women's contact events.
moni@khaleejtimes.com