‘MORE MEDALS ON MY MIND’

Ahmad Abu Ghaush is about to embark on his quest for a missing medal from his growing collection by admitting that he is hungrier than ever for success.

The 2016 Olympic gold medallist is still only 22, but he is already regarded as Jordan’s greatest ever sportsman and will launch his 2018 competition year in earnest with a bid to land the Asian Taekwondo Championships gold medal in Vietnam next week.

“I haven’t won a medal at this event so I am travelling to Vietnam with a podium finish on my mind,” said Abu Ghaush from is training camp in Korea.

“I’m so excited for it, we have been camping here in Korea for a while and we have trained with the top Korean fighters so we are ready for the Vietnam test.”

The standard for the Asian event is as high as an Olympic or World Championships as many of the world’s top fighters come from the region.

It will also provide Abu Ghaush, and his teammates, with an ideal build up to the Grand Prix events getting underway this summer.

“It will be very tough. I have fought most of them over the past two years so I know what to expect but this camp under my coach Faris Al Assaf has given me the best possible preparation.

“All of us are excited to compete and such is our confidence that all of us are targeting a medal.

A good performance will also boost our Olympic ranking so every fight is important if we are to qualify more fighters to Tokyo 2020.”

The next six months will be a huge test for the Olympic hero whose busy summer will also include the Asian Games in Indonesia in August as well as the Gand Prix events where he won two gold medals and a silver last year. “I have never felt so motivated,” he said.

“My target is to keep fighting, reach the podium and move up on the World ranking,” said Abu Ghaush who is currently fourth in the -68kg standings.