Taekwondo stars discover opening opponents

The draw for the taekwondo competitions at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was held this evening (Monday), in the French capital, Paris, with Jordan’s first fight set for Thursday.

Juliana Al-Sadeq (-67kg), Zaid Mustafa (-68kg), and Saleh El-Sharabaty (-80kg) have all qualified through the world rankings, while Rama Abu Rob (+68kg) secured the fourth qualification spot through the Asian qualifiers held in China.
This marks the first time that four Jordanian taekwondo athletes have qualified for the same Olympic edition.

The draw, attended by national team head coach Fares Al-Assaf, was based on the world rankings of the athletes.

Mustafa, ranked fifth in his weight, will kick off the national team's participation on Thursday against Brazilian Edval Pontes in the Round of 16.

On Friday, both Al-Sadeq and El-Sharabaty will compete with Al-Sadeq ranked third in her weight class, facing Fiji's Navoga Naitasi in the Round of 16. In the same round, El-Sharabaty, ranked fifth in his weight, will compete against Brazilian Ferran Rodriguez.

The Jordanian taekwondo participation will conclude on Saturday with, ranked ninth in her weight, facing Moroccan Fatima Zahra Abou Faris in the Round of 16.

The taekwondo competitions at the Olympic Games, to be held at the Grand Palais, will feature 120 athletes from 57 countries, including 16 Arab athletes, all aspiring to achieve Olympic glory and win a medal at the world's greatest sporting event.