Dubai: His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Olympic Committee, has praised the UAE delegation's outstanding performance at the Asian Games Aichi–Nagoya 2026, where the country recorded its best-ever result since making its debut at the Games in 1978.

The UAE finished 13th among 45 participating nations and second among Arab countries, winning a total of 13 medals - seven gold, five silver and one bronze.

His Highness said the achievement reflects the determination of UAE athletes to raise the nation's flag and strengthen the country's standing among Asia's leading sporting nations.

Sheikh Mansoor described the haul of seven gold medals, a first in the UAE's Asian Games history, as a proud achievement that reflects the efforts of athletes, technical and administrative teams, and national sports federations throughout the preparation period and the competitions.

Historic achievements

His Highness praised the achievements of Sheikha Latifah bint Ahmed bin Juma Al Maktoum, whose silver medal with the UAE show jumping team at Aichi–Nagoya 2026 took her Asian Games medal tally to four.

Sheikha Latifah previously won team bronze at Doha 2006, team silver and individual silver at Guangzhou 2010, and team silver at Aichi–Nagoya 2026.

Her four Asian Games medals draw her level with Malaysia's Quzandria Nur Mahamad Fathil for the highest medal tally achieved by a female equestrian in Asian Games history.

His Highness also commended the UAE show jumping team for securing silver in the team competition and praised Abdullah Humaid Al Muhairi for winning individual silver on the final day of competition.

Mariam Kareem shines

Sheikh Mansoor also highlighted the performance of Mariam Kareem, who won gold in the women's 400m hurdles in 54.31 seconds, setting a new Asian Games record and a new Asian U20 record.

Her performance was the second-fastest time ever recorded in the women's 400m hurdles at the world U20 level.

His Highness praised Kareem's resilience after she had earlier competed in the UAE mixed 4x400m relay team, which narrowly missed out on a medal.

Record medal haul

The UAE recorded its highest-ever gold medal tally at the Asian Games, surpassing its previous best of five gold medals achieved at Hangzhou.

The UAE's gold medallists were:

Mariam Kareem (women's 400m hurdles)

Kazbek Naguchev (men's under-73kg judo)

Balqees Abdulla (jiu-jitsu)

Khaled Al Shehhi (jiu-jitsu)

Ahmed Andeez (jiu-jitsu)

Mahdi Al Awlaqi (jiu-jitsu)

Asma Al Hosani (jiu-jitsu)

Silver medallists included:

Suleiman Abdulrahman (athletics)

Al Anoud Al Harbi (jiu-jitsu)

Omar Al Suwaidi (jiu-jitsu)

UAE show jumping team

Abdullah Humaid Al Muhairi (individual show jumping)

Ammar Al Hosani added a bronze medal in jiu-jitsu.

Strong UAE participation

The UAE competed at the 20th Asian Games in Japan with a delegation of 165 athletes, including 117 men and 48 women, across a wide range of sports.

The country's modern pentathlon and padel teams made their Asian Games debuts at Aichi–Nagoya 2026.

The Games, held from September 19 to October 4, brought together more than 11,000 athletes, about 6,000 coaches and officials, and featured 43 sports, 71 disciplines and 469 events.