Al Abbadi the History Maker

Few sportsmen in the world have enjoyed the past few months more than Jordan’s latest sporting icon Mohammad Al Abbadi.

The modest 20 year-old tae kwon do star created history in December by becoming the first Jordanian to win gold at an Asian Games. This was recognised weeks later with one of the most distinguished honours any Jordanian can receive.

"I was very proud to receive the Legion of Excellence from His Majesty King Abdullah II at the Royal Court for winning the Gold Medal," said Al Abbadi, who followed this honour by being voted as the Black Iris Sportsman of the Year for 2006 – an accolade decided by the Kingdom’s sports media: “It has been quite a time for me. The Black Iris Award for the Best Athlete lays a big responsibility on my shoulders.”

Now he hopes to write an extra chapter in the history books by becoming the first Jordanian to not only win a medal at an Olympics, but to go all the way for gold.

“The competition will be tough in Beijing next year but I am focused and want to win gold,” said Al Abbadi who lives in Amman with his two brothers and sister and took up the sport when he was just five. He imposed his name on the sport immediately.

“I used to go to Al Orthodox Club with my brother and then watched him win a competition in 1991. I was very happy and excited and fell in love with the sport immediately.

“I registered with Jabal Amman Tae Kwon Do Club and I am still one of its players until now. My brother Tariq and I went there and started training in the Junior team under the supervision of the coach Khader Khalefeh who is still my coach until today.”

Away from competing with the world’s best, Al Abbadi enjoys watching his favourite team Real Madrid and also has a passion for Feisali in the local league. He likes nothing better though than sharing a traditional Jordanian dish of Mensaf with his family and friends. But his focus has always remained on becoming one of the best in his chosen sport.

“My first taste of competition came when I was six in the Junior National Tae Kwon Do Championship. I won this title three years in a row until 1994. In 1995 I traveled with the team to participate in the British Open Tae Kwon Do Championship, beating a Scotsman, an Irishman and a Chinese athlete for my first international gold.”

Further successes followed in Malaysia and Britain before he was selected for training with the National team, under the guidance of Khalefeh and Ammar Fahed. In 2001, he represented Jordan for the first time, continuing his gold trail at tournaments in Greece, Iran, Malaysia and the 10th Pan Arab Games in Algeria.

High school studies interrupted his competitive career for a year but he has returned to the sport with a vengeance. His preparations for the Doha Asian Games gold included tournaments in China and Thailand where he established himself as a true force in the sport. But that historic moment in Doha will live long in the memory of sports fans in Jordan.

“I started with a win over an Uzbekistan athlete and then a Qatari which raised my self-confidence. After that I faced a Vietnamese athlete which saw me through to the bronze medal match with a Bahraini. After that victory I focused on gold only. I met a very strong Thai athlete in the final and it was not easy but I won 5-2, and achieved the Gold. It was a proud moment listening to the National Anthem and watching the Jordanian Flag being raised after winning; I dedicated this Gold Medal to His Majesty King Abdullah. “

While Beijing gold remains a priority, Al Abbadi keeps one eye on his future and is currently studying for a PH Degree.

In a time when multi million pound footballers gain the global focus, it is reassuring that Jordan can boast a true superstar like Mohammed Al Abbadi as one of its true champions.