Zayed Al Katheeri is on course to defend his black belt 56-kilogram weight gold medal in the 15th Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship on Friday.
The Emirati, 23, takes on Brazilian Yuri Hendrex after victories over Armenian Gevorg Arutyunyan and Samat Aitpanbet of Kazakhstan, both by points, on Thursday.
Al Katheeri, the first Emirati to win a title in the black belt division at last year's World Pro, said: “I am thrilled to secure the wins and advance to the finals.
“It’s a significant day for me, as I am determined to defend my title from last year. I’ve prepared extensively and believe I can give my best performance to secure victory.”
Joining him in Friday’s final is teammate and Asian Games gold medallist Khaled Al Shehi who faces Brazilian Meyran Alves in the 62kg.
Al Shehi overcame Georgian Giorgi Razmadze, Mexican Mario Navarrete and fellow Emirati Sultan Al Owais to reach his first final in the black belt division.
“It was a tough day today, to be honest, with three challenging fights, but I’m grateful that I made it,” Al Shehi said.
“I’m eagerly looking forward to the final fight, fully aware that it won’t be an easy path. I am fully prepared to face any challenge that comes my way and make everyone proud.”
UAE athletes picked up six medals in Thursday's action.
Asma Al Hosani won gold in the women's purple belt 55kg while Hessa Al Shamsi secured bronze in the same division.
Omar Ali Al Suwaidi also won gold in the men's brown belt 56kg weight while Mohammed Al Suwaidi took silver in the brown belt 69kg. Saeed Al Ketbi bagged bronze in the purple belt 85kg, and Mohammed Saeed Al Ketbi secured silver in the purple belt 56kg.
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Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
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The chef's advice
Troy Payne, head chef at Abu Dhabi’s newest healthy eatery Sanderson’s in Al Seef Resort & Spa, says singles need to change their mindset about how they approach the supermarket.
“They feel like they can’t buy one cucumber,” he says. “But I can walk into a shop – I feed two people at home – and I’ll walk into a shop and I buy one cucumber, I’ll buy one onion.”
Mr Payne asks for the sticker to be placed directly on each item, rather than face the temptation of filling one of the two-kilogram capacity plastic bags on offer.
The chef also advises singletons not get too hung up on “organic”, particularly high-priced varieties that have been flown in from far-flung locales. Local produce is often grown sustainably, and far cheaper, he says.
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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