UAE athletes have won a record seven gold medals at Aichi-Nagoya 2026, beating the country’s previous Asian Games best of five.
NAGOYA: The UAE has achieved its best gold-medal performance in Asian Games history, raising its tally to seven gold medals at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games and surpassing its previous record of five golds at Hangzhou.
Jiu-jitsu delivers historic milestone
The record was confirmed after another strong showing from the UAE national jiu-jitsu team, which added two gold medals and one bronze on Friday. The latest results took the UAE’s overall medal tally to 12 medals: seven gold, four silver and one bronze.
Mahdi Al Awlaqi won gold in the men’s under-77kg category, while Asma Al Hosani claimed the women’s under-52kg crown. Ammar Al Hosani added a bronze in the men’s under-94kg division.
Jiu-jitsu has emerged as the UAE’s biggest contributor at the Games, delivering five golds, two silvers and one bronze so far.
Seven champions make UAE history
The UAE’s seven gold medallists are Mariam Kareem in the women’s 400m hurdles, judoka Kazbek Naguchev in the men’s under-73kg category, and jiu-jitsu athletes Balqees Abdulla, Khaled Al Shehhi, Ahmed Andeez, Mahdi Al Awlaqi and Asma Al Hosani.
Kareem also produced a standout athletics performance, winning the 400m hurdles in a Games record of 54.31 seconds.
Faris Mohammed Al Mutawa, Secretary General of the UAE Olympic Committee, described the seven-gold achievement as an important milestone reflecting the country’s growing sporting competitiveness and the work of athletes, coaches, federations and support teams.
Impact to expect
The record medal haul strengthens the UAE’s position in Asian sport and provides momentum for its longer-term preparations, including the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
