UAE Claims Seven Medals on Standout Day at Aichi–Nagoya 2026

Four Golds and Three Silvers Lift UAE to 14th Overall and Second Among Arab Nations with Nine Medals

The UAE celebrated a remarkable seven-medal haul at the Asian Games Aichi–Nagoya 2026 today, winning four golds and three silvers to take its overall tally to nine medals — five gold and four silver — and climb to 14th place overall and second among Arab nations.

Kazbek Naguchev claimed gold in the men’s under-73kg judo competition, while the UAE jiu-jitsu team delivered an outstanding performance with three titles. Balqees Abdulla, Ahmed Andeez and Khaled Al Shehhi all won gold, while Al Anoud Al Harbi and Omar Al Suwaidi secured silver. The UAE show jumping team added another silver to complete a memorable day for the national delegation.

China continued to lead the medal standings with 287 medals — 153 gold, 71 silver and 63 bronze — followed by Japan with 216 — 59 gold, 78 silver and 79 bronze — while South Korea remained third with 112 — 30 gold, 30 silver and 52 bronze.

Bahrain remained the highest-ranked Arab nation, sitting seventh overall with 21 medals — 11 gold, five silver and five bronze — followed by the UAE in second place among Arab nations.

Kuwait ranked third among Arab nations and 15th overall with nine medals — four gold, one silver and four bronze — while Qatar stood fourth among Arab nations and 17th overall with 14 medals — three gold, six silver and five bronze.

Saudi Arabia ranked fifth among Arab nations and 24th overall with 12 medals — one gold, two silver and nine bronze — followed by Jordan in sixth among Arab nations and 27th overall with four medals — one gold, one silver and two bronze.

Iraq ranked seventh among Arab nations and 29th overall with five medals — two silver and three bronze. Lebanon and the Sultanate of Oman shared eighth place among Arab nations and 32nd overall, each with two medals — one silver and one bronze — while Syria ranked 10th among Arab nations and joint 37th overall with one bronze medal.

The UAE jiu-jitsu team delivered a superb five-medal haul, with Khaled Al Shehhi claiming gold in the men’s under-62kg division after defeating compatriot Omar Al Suwaidi in an all-UAE final, with Al Suwaidi taking silver.

Ahmed Andeez added another gold in the men’s under-69kg competition, while the women’s under-48kg division produced a second all-UAE final between Balqees Abdulla and Al Anoud Al Harbi. Balqees prevailed to take gold, with Al Anoud securing silver, as the UAE jiu-jitsu team capped an impressive day with five medals.

In judo, Kazbek Naguchev added another gold to the UAE’s tally in the men’s under-73kg category after an impressive run to the final. He sealed the title with an ippon against Uzbekistan’s Shakhram Ahadov after one minute and 40 seconds to be crowned Asian Games champion.

Naguchev reached the quarter-finals after defeating Hong Kong’s Mak Hong Nin by ippon in one minute and 31 seconds. He then overcame Bahrain’s Mukhamed Aloev by ippon in the quarter-finals after three minutes and 26 seconds, before defeating Tajikistan’s Muhiddin Asadulloev by yuko in golden score in the semi-final to secure his place in the gold-medal contest.

His Excellency Mohamed bin Thaaloob Al Derei, President of the UAE Judo Federation, said Naguchev’s gold medal reflected the sustained support and attention extended to UAE sport by the country’s wise leadership.

“We dedicate this achievement to our wise leadership in appreciation of its tremendous support for sport and athletes, and its unwavering commitment to empowering the UAE’s athletes to compete and reach the podium.

“What we achieved today is the result of collective effort and sustained work by the athlete and the technical and administrative teams. It gives us further motivation to continue developing UAE judo and achieve more results worthy of the name of the United Arab Emirates.”

Al Derei added that the UAE still has an opportunity to increase its medal tally through Mohammed Murad Gad in the men’s under-90kg competition and Mohammed Omar Marouf in the over-100kg division, expressing confidence in the national team’s ability to maintain its strong performances in the remaining competitions.

In equestrian sport, the UAE show jumping team claimed silver in the team event after a strong performance across the two final rounds, adding another medal to the national delegation’s tally at the Games.

The UAE team comprised Sheikha Latifah bint Ahmed Al Maktoum, Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi, Abdullah Humaid Al Muhairi and Humaid Abdulla Khalifa Al Muhairi.

Sheikha Latifah expressed her delight with her performance alongside Cornet XL in the second round, saying she felt much more comfortable and that the higher fences better suited the horse’s size and scope.

“I felt much better in the second round. He was much more motivated, and the fences being a little bigger helped me with my horse. He is a big, scopey horse, so the bigger the fences are, the easier it is for me to ride him.

“We are just focusing on each round and hopefully we can come out on top. We have a very strong team and a great team spirit. We all have each other’s backs. No one is worried about making a mistake because we know the others are strong and capable of pulling it out of the bag.”

In rugby, the UAE national team opened its Group C campaign with a 33–5 victory over Singapore before drawing 17–17 with the Philippines in its second match.

In sailing, Doha Al Beshr qualified for the final two races of the women’s Olympic ILCA 6 class, which she will contest tomorrow as the competition concludes.

In padel, Faris Al Janahi and Abdullah Al Abdullah saw their men’s doubles campaign come to an end in the quarter-finals after a 6–2, 6–3 defeat to Qatar’s Meshari Nayef and Rashid Nayef.

Meanwhile, UAE cyclist Mohammed Al Mutaiwei finished eighth among 14 riders in the men’s track cycling omnium, collecting 108 points across the scratch, tempo, elimination and points races.

Tomorrow’s Events

The UAE’s campaign continues tomorrow across several sports, with the national jiu-jitsu team returning to action through Shamsa Al Ameri and Asma Al Hosani in the women’s under-52kg division, Mahdi Al Awlaqi and Fahad Al Hammadi in the men’s under-77kg category, and Abdullah Al Qubaisi and Ammar Al Hosani in the men’s under-94kg division.

In judo, Mohammed Murad Gad will compete in the men’s under-90kg category, while Mohammed Omar Marouf contests the men’s over-100kg division. In track cycling, Ahmed Al Mansoori and Abdullah Al Hammadi will compete in the men’s Madison.

The UAE rugby team will face Sri Lanka in its final Group C match, while Amna Al Loghani begins her taekwondo campaign in the women’s under-67kg category.

Following today’s medal haul, the UAE’s tally at the Games rose to nine medals — five gold and four silver. Earlier in the Games, Mariam Kareem secured the delegation’s first gold in the women’s 400m hurdles, while Suleiman Abdulrahman claimed silver in the men’s 400m.