Abu Dhabi: Muhammad Mustafa
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan crowned the UAE national team with second place in the Muay Thai World Cup, and the youth team in first place at the end of the competitions yesterday in Abu Dhabi. The crowning of the UAE national team’s star, Elias Habib, with the gold under 81 kg held the conclusion of the tournament, during which the state champions achieved unprecedented achievements in the field of the game for both men and women.
700 male and female players from 100 countries participated in the tournament, which was held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC) and witnessed 439 matches.
Thailand topped the overall standings with 15 colored medals, including 8 gold, 5 silver and 2 bronze, while the UAE team ranked second in the overall standings with 12 medals, including 5 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronze, and Morocco ranked third.
The brilliance of the UAE champions and the youth team in particular came 5 years following the birth of the game federation in the country, which increases the value of the achievement.
The final day’s competitions witnessed the Moroccan Youssef Asawik winning the gold in the under-71 kg weight category, and the Iranian Massoud Al-Malki with the gold in the under 63 kg weight category, by defeating the Thai Surawit.
The conclusion of the tournament was the meeting of our international player Elias Habib Ali (the ring tiger) with the Moldovan champion Artyom Livadari for the gold in the under-81 kg weight category, which resulted in the victory of the golden champion, who added a second world gold to him following the Mexico medal in 2018.
At the beginning of the coronation ceremony, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan received a souvenir from Prasan and Ingratana, representative of the Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, the guest of the tournament. The tournament, crowning the first winners with colored medals.