AMMAN — Jordan’s
Abdulrahman Al-Masatfa, the first Arab to win an Olympic
medal in the karate competitions, received
a grand welcome at Queen Alia International Airport Tuesday morning.
اضافة اعلان
On August 8, the national karate player
and medicine graduate donned his bronze medal as he carried the Jordanian flag at
the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics 2020. His coach Mohammad Ibrahim and
teammate Aliya Boshnaq were at his side.
On that day, the Jordanian team concluded
its historic participation in the Tokyo Olympics 2020, after having won two
medals — Masatfa’s bronze and
Saleh Al-Sharabti’s silver in taekwondo — in
the same year for the first time in history.
“From the moment we landed in Tokyo,
I was determined to prove to myself that I am able to win a medal, which is the
highest honor that an athlete can seek,” Masatfa told
Jordan News.
In Tokyo, athletes were not
permitted to extend their stay or attend other events at the games, Masatfa
said. They were tested regularly and required to show negative PCR tests before
boarding their flights back to Jordan.
“Conditions were strict and
stressful, but with determination and hard work we managed well. The absence of
the crowds and fans took away some of the joy,” he said. “If it weren’t for
COVID-19, both of my parents would have been there cheering for me.”
Commenting on the effect of COVID-19
on Jordan’s Olympians, the secretary general of the Olympic committee Nasser
Majali said, “The pandemic is a double-edged sword … the players had to be
separated from the outside world to focus a month before the games and COVID-19
did the dirty work for us.”
Preparing for the 2021 Karate World
Championships is Masatfa’s next step. “I have a greater responsibility now that
I have won an Olympic medal,” he said.
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