Gold for Shaikha Maitha

Gold for Shaikha MaithaFrom Hisham Al Gizouli 23 November 2007 for KHALEEJ TIMES

CAIRO — Shaikha Maitha bint Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum won the gold medal in the women's karate competition last night.

She made easy progress in the 65kg category, making short work of her opponents from Lebanon and Syria to secure her path into the final before she won 1-0 to make a golden day for the UAE sport.

A 1-0 defeat in her first match in the open category put her out of the running for gold and silver, but she was declared the winner in the bronze-medal bout over an Algerian opponent in the open weight.

In the men's kata final, the UAE team secured silver, losing out to the crisp, acrobatic display from Egypt's world championship-winning team, 5-0.

In the men's kumite open category, Mohammad Khamis suffered an injury during his bout against a Tunisian opponent and forfeited the match. However, the UAE is now appealing the decision.

Randa Mohammed Ebrahim won UAE’s first silver medal in the women’s karate competition at the Pan-Arab Games which opened at Hall-3, Cairo Stadium yesterday.

The UAE girls karate team started as pre-tournament’s favourites to bag the gold medals by the end of the competition. Led by UAE skipper, Shaikha Maitha bint Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the team has been training regularly and going from one tournament to another in many parts of the world.

They have also picked up many gold medals at the team and individual levels in different official and friendly tournaments, including the recent Asian Games in Doha 2007.

Meanwhile, the other UAE contender Hiba Abu Harmoush received her first defeat at the hands of Morocco’s Fatima Al Zahra in the 53-60kg category. In the men’s competition, Khalid Sulieman was knocked out by Algeria’s Hicham Buleef in the 60kg and Mohammed Khamis Al Meshrikh was beaten by Mohammed Jadid from Jordan in the 65kg category. UAE disabled continued their impressive performance and picked up more medals for their country in the weightlifting.

Paralympics gold medallist Mohammed Khamis lifted the gold in the 90+ men’s competition and Fatima Rashid Khamis walked away with the silver in the 82+ women’ competition.

Meanwhile, the only UAE woman cyclist and winner of the 2004 Pan-Arab Games silver medal in the road race Maitha Al Blouchi did not have much luck in her start at the Games and finished disappointingly 10th.