TAEKWONDO IMPRESS IN EGYPT
Feb 23, 2019
Jordan’s stunning start to the year in Taekwondo has continued with the national team winning a clutch of medals at the Egyptian International Taekwondo Championship over the weekend.
The team won four medals, including two gold, to continue the good form witnessed at international tournaments in Turkey and the UAE.
Saleh Al Sharbati (-80kg) and Zaid Mustafa (-58kg) claimed the golds while Hamza Qattan (-87kg) won silver and Juliana Al Sadiq won bronze in the women’s -67kg. Al Sharbati, now ranked 11th in the world, beat world number four and European bronze medallist, Richard Ordemann, 6-2 in his final.
Mustafa, 19, is 54th in the world but showed he is set to rise through the rankings after beating Italian world champion, Vito Dell’Aquila, in the semi-final before beating Belgium’s Mourad, 6-4, to clinch gold.
Qattan has been in super form and after wins over Sudan’s Abdulla Abdelhalim and Morocco’s Ayoub Basil, he beat Nigeria’s Abdoul Razak Issoufou, ranked third in the world, 7-3 in the final.
Not to be outdone by the men, Al Sadiq earned her bronze after beating a fighter from the host nation before losing narrowly in the semi-final to 2016 Olympic bronze medallist, Hidaya Malek.
While the national team was impressing, Jordan’s youth and junior fighters were also showing their potential by winning 15 medals, including six gold, three silver and six bronze.
