Israeli town celebrates as golden son grabs Jordan’s first-ever medal
Taekwondo fighter Ahmad Abughaush, reportedly born in town of Abu Ghosh outside Jerusalem, makes unexpected run to win Olympic gold
A taekwondo fighter reportedly born in Israel brought Olympic glory to Jordan late Thursday, and celebrations among his relatives in Israel, by winning gold and the kingdom’s first-ever Olympic medal.
The 20-year-old Ahmad Abughaush wrapped up a day of upsets at the Rio Games by defeating Russia’s Alexey Denisenko in a Thursday night 68-kilogram division final, during which Abughaush landed several jumping head shots that elicited gasps from the audience. Abughaush beat Denisenko 10-6.
Celebrations broke out after the win across Jordan and in the town of Abu Ghosh, west of Jerusalem, where Abughaush was born in 1996, according to Israeli media reports.
His family decamped for Jordan shortly after the birth, but a number of relatives still live in the picturesque town, famed for its hummus restaurants.
“This is a great honor for us,” said civic booster Jawdat Ibrahim, a restaurateur and philanthropist.
Ibrahim told Israel’s Channel 10 news that town leaders would travel to Jordan to congratulate the prodigal son in person. He said the Abughaush family comes back to visit Abu Ghosh every year.
From the Oscars to the Olympics, a great year for #Jordan on the world stage! Congrats to Ahmad Abu Ghosh for the gold! #Rio2016 #Taekwondo
— Rania Al Abdullah (@QueenRania) August 19, 2016
On the way to the gold-medal bout, the 10th-ranked Abughaush knocked out second-seeded Dae-Hoon Lee of South Korea before eliminating Olympic champion Joel Bonilla Gonzalez of Spain, who won the 58-kilogram division at the London Games.
Lee applauded Abughaush’s performance after being beaten by him, raising Abughaush’s arm in victory when he was announced the winner.
The men’s bronze medals were won by Spain’s Joel Bonilla Gonzalez and South Korea’s Lee Dae-hoon.
