Paris, France, August 8, 2024: Jordan’s talented taekwondo team produced another medal at the Olympic Games on Thursday, August 8 – a silver for Zaid Mustafa Kareem in the men’s -68kg.
The 23-year-old Jordanian beat opponents from Brazil, Turkey and Great Britain to set up a final against Ulugbek Rashitov, the top seed from Uzbekistan, at Grand Palais.
Rashitov, Olympic champion at Tokyo 2020, beat the sixth seeded Zaid 2-0 with scores of 5-4 and 3-1 to complete a golden double. The silver medal was Jordan’s first medal of any colour at Paris 2024.
The medals were presented by the President of the Jordan Olympic Committee, IOC Executive Board member HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, on a memorable night for the Olympic movement in Jordan.
The Jordan Olympic Committee posted: “Silver Zaid! From the Grand Palace in Paris, Jordanian taekwondo champion Zaid Mustafa shines and attains Olympic glory and presents Jordan with its first medal at the Paris Olympics and its historic fourth Olympic medals.
“Congratulations. We are all with Team Jordan”
Of Jordan’s four Olympic medals, three have come in taekwondo, with one gold and two silver medals, and one bronze in karate.
Zaid said: "It was an amazing final against an Olympic champion, and also he’s my brother. It was a good match; it was so hard; it was so close."
He also revealed what Prince Feisal had told him before the medal ceremony.
"He just supported me, and he wanted to support Jordan and Jordan’s taekwondo. I want to thank everyone that supported me and was there for me."
Rashitov now has his second Olympic gold medal at the age of 22. "If I have to think about my first Olympic Games, I was only 19. I did not understand how serious this was. I did not understand what it meant. I felt adrenaline, but I didn’t think much about it. I didn’t feel the responsibility.
"But now I can say that it is so much more difficult to win your second medal because you become your main rival, and you have to become better than your own self. Psychologically and mentally, it is a lot more difficult. Five or 10 days before the competition, that’s when it became more difficult to get myself together and, thankfully, I managed that."
He said Zaid was a worthy opponent.
"Two years ago, we planned together to be in the final of the Olympic Games. Back then, we planned this, and I can say that what happened today is history. It’s fantastic. The most important thing is to believe in yourself, and you will get where you want to be."
