“I WANT TO BE NO. 1 IN THE WORLD”

Haidar Al Rasheed is heading to his biggest ever tournament with a clear mission to become his sport’s top ranked player in the world.

The 24-year-old Ju-Jitsu star has qualified for the World Games in Poland, where Jordan is sending five elite athletes to compete in sports that are not on the Olympic roster.

Al Rasheed finished 2016 ranked third in the world and knows that if he can beat the best over the next 10 days then the top spot for the -85kg division could be his.

Speaking in Amman after arriving back from intensive training in New York, Al Rasheed said: “It was the most successful camp I have ever participated in at the Marcelo Garcia Club.”

“I was training three times per day with the best Ju-Jitsu athletes in world.

I was lucky to be there and learn from different techniques.”

Al Rasheed has met many of the World Games field before at tournaments across the world so he appreciates the magnitude of his task. But it hasn’t stopped his ambitions.

“They are the best in our weight so I need to deliver the maximum effort in Poland,” he said.

“I’m just so happy to have made it there to give myself a chance. It is the first time that Jordan has competed at the World Games in Ju-Jitsu, so winning a medal would be extra special.”

The former taekwondo fighter switched to Ju-Jitsu 10 years ago as a 14-year-old and immediately won a silver in the World Club Championships.

More glory has followed, including double gold at the 2016 Asian Beach Games in Vietnam and another gold at the 2016 Asian Ju-Jitsu Championships held in Turkmenistan.

“I want to increase my medal haul at the World Games next week. I will be doing my best to raise Jordan’s flag there. It won’t be easy but I like a challenge,” he said.