Taekwondo stars ready to pick up Jordan Olympic baton

The head coach of the national Taekwondo team, Fares Al-Assaf, has said that his fighters are ready to continue Jordan’s participation at the Paris 2024 Olympics with a charge for medals.
He took a time out from their intensive training in the Saint-Denis area of the French capital to say that his chargers are in great shape ahead of their competitions this weekend.
Four have qualified, Jordan’s highest delegation in the sport, with Zaid Mustafa (-68kg), Juliana Al-Sadeq (-67kg), Saleh El-Sharabaty (-80kg), and Rama Abu Rob (+67kg) all hoping to make an impact.
Mustafa, Al-Sadeq, and El-Sharabaty qualified through their world rankings, while Abu Rob came through the Asian qualifiers.
Preparations have included national and international camps as well as several competitions to push the players towards peak fitness.
“We look forward to continuing to achieve Olympic successes in our sport,” said Al-Assaf. “We have a very good group of players who have proven their capabilities in the strongest Taekwondo championships worldwide.
“The competition will certainly be intense in Paris since everyone here is a champion in Taekwondo with great potential to win.
“We trust our national team and the players’ desire to achieve the best in this major sporting event.”
Mustafa will open the Jordan’s participation on Thursday, facing Brazilian Edval Pontes in the Round of 16 at 12.50p, Jordan time.
On Friday, Al-Sadeq and El-Sharabaty will compete. El-Sharabaty, ranked fifth in his weight, will face Brazilian, Ferran Rodriguez, in the Round of 16 at 10.45am Jordan time. In the same round, Al-Sadeq, ranked third in her weight, will face Fiji’s Navoga Naitasi at 11.45am Jordan time.
Abu Rob, ranked ninth in her weight, faces Moroccan Fatima Zahra Abou Faris in the Round of 16 at 11am Jordan time.
The Taekwondo competition rules at the Paris Olympics award four medals: one gold, one silver, and two bronzes, with a repechage round if a player loses to one of the finalists.
Jordan have won two Olympic medals in the last two editions, with Ahmad Abu Ghaush winning gold at Rio 2016 and El-Sharabaty winning silver at Tokyo 2020.