Sports with Khaled: Jordanian athletes make waves across the board

AMMAN — Last week was a triumphant one for Jordanian athletes across various sports, with victories and historic moments in sports shooting, tennis, 3x3 basketball, and goalball. اضافة اعلان

From Asmaa Abu Rabie's impressive win at the Arab Championships in Cairo to Abdullah Shelbayh's historic upset at the Bahrain Ministry of Interior Tennis Challenger, Jordan's athletes were on a roll.

Here is this week’s round-up from Jordan News.


Sports shootingLocal sports shooting fans can take pride in the accomplishments of Olympic shooter Asmaa Abu Rabie, who secured the Air Pistol (10m) title at the Arab Championships in Cairo, Egypt last week.

Abu Rabie edged out Egyptian shooter Hala El-Gohary to clinch the title, while Iraq's Aya Al-Beiruti finished third.

The tournament featured tough competition from 11 countries, making Abu Rabie's victory all the more impressive.

Abu Rabie's win is just the latest in a string of successes for the talented shooter. She qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, becoming the first athlete from Jordan to do so in over two decades. Shooting has a storied history in Jordanian athletics, with Abu Rabie continuing a legacy that dates all the way back to the 1980 Moscow Games.


TennisIn case you missed it, at the Bahrain Ministry of Interior Tennis Challenger in Manama, 19-year-old Jordanian tennis player Abdullah Shelbayh pulled off a historic upset.

In a thrilling match that lasted nearly three hours, Shelbayh defeated world number 79 Jason Kubler of Australia, becoming the first Jordanian player in tennis history to defeat an ATP top 100 player.

Shelbayh won by a score of two sets to one.

Ranked 399 in the world, Shelbayh's victory marks a major milestone in his burgeoning tennis career, demonstrating his immense talent and potential for greatness in the sport.


3x3 basketballBasketball fever has returned from Doha’s 3x3 Arab Championship, and the women’s national team bought the title back with them.

The third edition of the Arab Basketball 3x3 Championship saw the Kingdom's team dominate the competition, with impressive wins over Saudi Arabia (20-9), Kuwait “B” (15-9), Qatar (19-12), Kuwait "A" in two matches (21-6, 21-13), and Saudi Arabia again (21-7).

The men's team had a more challenging run in the tournament, finishing fourth overall. Despite putting up a valiant effort and securing wins over Iraq (21-18) and Saudi Arabia (21-16), the team ultimately fell short, losing to Mauritania (19-21) and Qatar twice (19-21, 15-20).


GoalballJordan's Paralympic Goalball team has secured a victory at the West Asian Championship, emerging as the champions following a decisive 11-5 win over Saudi Arabia. The championship was held in Ajman, UAE.

The national team, consisting of Imad Elyan, Osama Zyoud, Muhammad Al-Sayed, Abdul-Ramahi, Muhammad Badr, and Muhammad Al-Duqm, put on a spectacular display of skill and teamwork throughout the tournament, boasting a perfect 100 percent record in their seven matches.

Goalball is a team sport designed for athletes who are blind or visually impaired. Created in 1946, it is played by two teams of three players each.

The players use their hearing to locate and throw a ball that has bells inside across the court and into the opposing team's goal. The opposing team must use their bodies to block the ball from entering their goal, as they cannot see it. The court is marked with tactile lines so players can feel their position and orientation on the court.

The team's road to victory was marked by a series of impressive group-stage wins over Saudi Arabia (17-7), Kuwait (10-1), Oman (19-10), Qatar (11-4), and the UAE (13-3).

In the semi-final against Oman, Jordan clinched a 13-3 victory and followed it with a win against Saudi Arabia.


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