By Hana AlDayyat
OCA young reporter from Jordan
Nagoya, Japan, September 22, 2026: Jordan’s Mohammad Al-Jafari captured the gold medal in the men’s kumite -84 kg category at the 20th Asian Games, defeating Iran’s Ali Asghar Asiabari in the final at Toyohashi City General Gymnasium.
The victory delivered Jordan a premier title in the karate competition and elevated Al-Jafari to the top of the Asian Games podium following his bronze medal finish at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Al-Jafari controlled the tempo of the bout, relying on sharp counter attacks and explosive technique to compile three Yukos and two Ippons while securing Senshu. Asiabari took silver for Iran after managing a single Yuko in the 9–1 contest.
Following the medal ceremony, Al-Jafari said: "The preparation for this achievement began four years ago. Ever since the last edition, where I took home bronze, my dream was to claim the gold. Thank God my hard work did not go to waste, and today I was able to capture this gold medal."
Al-Jafari’s path to the final featured dominant performances, including a 4–1 opening victory against Chinese Taipei’s Chung Meng-yu and an 8–0 shutout against India’s Bhatt Chetan.
Both defeated opponents rebounded in the repechage rounds, where Chung secured a bronze medal via Senshu over Bhatt. The second bronze medal was claimed by Qatar’s Abdulla Babikr, who defeated Palestine’s Abdallah Alkhatib 8–0 to secure Qatar's first Asian Games karate medal since 2006.