‘MY BEST IS YET TO COME’

In a short time, Haidar Rasheed has become one of Jordan’s most successful sportsmen.

Last year, the Ju-Jitsu star won silver at the World Championships in Colombia and gold at the Asian Indoor Games in Ashgabat, but despite reaching these highs, the determined 24-year-old says his best is yet to come.

“I want to be the World number one,” he said.

“I continue to strive forward because I want to put Jordan Ju-Jitsu on the World map. We already have athletes who made outstanding achievements before, and it’s our mission to keep up this standard.”

After taking up the sport in 2003, it soon became an important part of his life.

“I found out that Ju-Jitsu fits my body more than any sport, including Taekwondo which I was doing from an early age. I realised that it would open the door for me to be a national champion and haven’t looked back.”

He says that committing himself to training has moved him from national to global level, but credits the team behind him for his rise towards the top.

“When I made my decision to try and succeed in this sport, I committed to it completely. I have never missed one training session and I always follow my coach’s instructions. This is the key to my success. Train hard and listen.”

There seems to be no stopping Haidar as he bids for the world’s top spot, and he has a word of advice the Kingdom’s youngsters.

“The message for youngsters is to never look back and move on to achieve your goals,” he said.