UAE athletes arrived back home this week after closing out the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with the best medal haul in the country's history at the event. The delegation collected 13 medals in total, including a record seven gold medals, placing the UAE 13th out of 45 competing nations.
Jiu-jitsu was the standout discipline, delivering five of the seven golds: Balqees Al Hashmi in the women's 48kg category, Khaled Al Shehhi in the men's 62kg, Ahmed Andeez in the men's 69kg, Mahdi Al Awlaqi in the men's 77kg, and Asma Al Hosani in the women's 52kg all topped their respective podiums.
On the track, 18-year-old Mariam Kareem broke the Asian Games record in the women's 400m hurdles, clocking 54.31 seconds to take gold. Judoka Kazbek Naguchev added a seventh gold in the men's under-73kg category.
Beyond the golds, the UAE picked up several notable silvers: 19-year-old Sulaiman Abdulrahman in the men's 400m, Sheikha Latifah bint Ahmed Al Maktoum in the team equestrian event — her fourth Asian Games medal — and Abdullah Humaid Al Muhairi in individual show jumping.
UAE sports officials described the campaign as a significant leap from previous editions, crediting it to years of sustained investment in combat sports and athletics programmes across the country.