By OCA Young Reporter Zaynab Kawtharani
Toyohashi, Japan, October 2, 2026: When Mahmoud Aljasem Almohammad spoke after his taekwondo defeat at the Aichi Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, his first concern was the people he had represented.
“The team is my family. This is a great honour and a responsibility,” said the Asian Refugee Team athlete. “I fell short for them, but I promise to make it up to them in the coming days, God willing.”
For Almohammad and teammate Talah Alhassan Alhinde, Friday’s competition at Toyohashi Gymnasium ended in the round of 16. Their words afterwards revealed how much reaching that mat had meant, and how much they still hoped to achieve.
Almohammad, 24, lost to Korea’s Kang Jaegwon in the men’s under 80kg category, two rounds to nil, with scores of 18 to 7 and 20 to 5. Alhinde, 18, was beaten by China’s Ma Jingyue in the women’s under 49kg event, two rounds to nil, 16 to 1 and 16 to 0.
Alhinde spoke with pride about the opportunity to compete outside Jordan despite the circumstances surrounding her preparation. Living in a refugee camp had made training difficult, but the sessions gave her a sense of purpose and a future to work towards.
“Training was difficult because we live in a camp. Despite the challenges our circumstances imposed on us, training gave us hope and a new passion that brought life back to us and a vision for our future,” she said.
Her description of training as something that “brought life back to us” captured its place in her daily life. Each session offered a reason to keep working, with the possibility that the effort would eventually take her further.
In Toyohashi, she gained experience against China’s Ma and found the determination to continue through a difficult contest.
“During the fight, I had the strength and determination to keep going,” she said. “God willing, one day I will win a medal.”
Almohammad’s disappointment was equally personal. Calling the team his family gave weight to his promise to return stronger. He felt he had fallen short, yet remained committed to earning another opportunity.
His message to others was to keep preparing, even before they could see where that work might lead.
“Everyone will get an opportunity, and everyone must be ready for it,” he said. “You must keep working on yourself and never lose hope until the right opportunity comes.”
Alhinde left Toyohashi still holding on to the medal she hopes to win one day. Almohammad left with a promise to the people he calls family. Both had something to return to training for.