Jordan has ensured its first medal at the Tokyo Summer Olympics and its second in the history of the Games, following taekwondo player Saleh Al-Sharbati, ranked sixth globally, reaching the final in the 80 kg category after defeating Uzbekistan's Nikita Rafalovich, ranked seventh, 13-11 on Monday.
Al-Sharbati, the 2021 Asian Championship title holder and bronze medalist from the 2018 Asian Games, will face world number one Russian Maxim Khamtchov, who is competing under a neutral flag after defeating Egypt's Seif Eissa 13-1.
Al-Sharbati will gift Jordan its second Olympic medal ever, following the first gold secured by Ahmad Abu Ghosh in taekwondo in the -68 kg category at Rio 2016.
After his victory, Al-Sharbati stated to Agence France-Presse, "The final match will be as tough as the earlier matches; in the end, we are at the Olympics, so everyone is present and ready. We will rest now and prepare for the final, and we are optimistic."
He added, "I thank my God because these efforts did not go in vain; I thought about my family as they worked hard with me and stood by my side to reach here."
Al-Sharbati, 23, from Zarqa, began practicing taekwondo at the age of 7, specifically in 2006 at the Jabal Amman center. He holds a bachelor's degree in marketing from the Applied Science University and has won several medals throughout his sports career, including a silver medal at the Taekwondo Grand Prix in Moscow in 2018 and silver and bronze medals at the Asian Championships in 2016 and 2018, among others.
