Leopards place third at martial arts competition

The past week has shown a lot of progress for AUS in the field of martial arts as some of our student- athletes took part in the Higher Education Sports Federation (HESF) karate and taekwondo competitions.

Five student-athletes represented AUS in the karate competition. AUS finished third overall in the competition, and for the first time had participants in each of the five weight classes, which allowed AUS the opportunity to earn maximum points as a team. The most impressive performance in karate was put on by AUS student-athlete Mahmoud Chohaybar Zidan, as he earned first place in the under 80kg weight class after being away from competition for eight years.

Representing AUS in the taekwondo competition was Majed Mohammad Al Marzooqi. A freshman at AUS, he also represents the UAE on the national taekwondo team. Majed dominated his opponents in the under 58kg weight class en route to a gold medal for the HESF competition.

Martial arts are rapidly gaining popularity in the UAE and there is no exception when it comes to AUS, as many student athletes have been training and practicing many different styles. The HESF competitions are a great way to measure where our student athletes are at in comparison to those from other universities.

Dr. Moza Al Shehhi, Vice Chancellor of the Office of Student Affairs extended her congratulations to the AUS student athletes who competed in the HESF competitions. "Promising results earned in the HESF karate and taekwondo competitions will definitely help propel the popularity at AUS even further as the teams continue to improve and attract some of the best student athletes not only on campus, but around the country and region," said Dr. Al Shehhi.