Jordanian taekwondo player wins first gold medal for his country at the Olympic Games

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 18:  Gold medalist, Ahmad Abughaush of Jordan celebrates on the podium after the men's -68kg Gold Medal Taekwondo contest at the Carioca Arena on Day 13 of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games on August 18, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 18: Gold medalist, Ahmad Abughaush of Jordan celebrates on the podium after the men’s -68kg Gold Medal Taekwondo contest at the Carioca Arena on Day 13 of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games on August 18, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Ahmad Abughaush won the men’s -68kg taekwondo title to give Jordan a first medal at an Olympic Games.

The 20-year-old had already knocked out second seed Dae-Hoon Lee of South Korea and defending champion Joel Bonilla Gonzalez on his way to the final.

And the 10th seed overcame Russia’s Alexey Denisenko 10-6 to take gold.

Abughaush delighted the crowd with several jumping head shots and also ran away from his opponent in a bid to protect his lead in the final seconds.

Lee and Gonzalez went on to claim the two bronze medals on offer.

Jordan’s royal family watched Abughaush make history, and he received a telephone call from the king’s brother, Prince Feisel al Hussein, president of the country’s Olympic committee, after claiming the gold.

“He told me that the people of Jordan are very happy and crying tears of joy for me,” said Abughaush.

The views expressed in Op-Ed pieces are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of Libyan Express.
How to submit an Op-Ed: Libyan Express accepts opinion articles on a wide range of topics. Submissions may be sent to oped@libyanexpress.com. Please include ‘Op-Ed’ in the subject line.
You might also like

Submit a Correction

For: Jordanian taekwondo player wins first gold medal for his country at the Olympic Games

Your suggestion have been successfully submitted

There was an error while trying to send your request. Please try again.

Libyan Express will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide updates and marketing.