PSD athletes achieve historic, international success

AMMAN — The Public Security Directorate (PSD) on Saturday congratulated its athletes on various national teams for their recent achievements, including a number of historic international successes.

Athletes affiliated with PSD have represented the country in sports such as boxing, badminton, Paralympic powerlifting and taekwondo, a PSD statement said.

The PSD reaffirmed its ongoing support for these “highly motivated and determined athletes”, also commending the efforts of all stakeholders, notably the Jordan Olympic Committee, led by HRH Prince Feisal, as well as the sports federations involved in the training, preparation and overall advancement of these athletes.

In boxing, PSD boxer Mohammed Abu Jajah was awarded the bronze medal at the World Boxing Championships, marking the first medal in the history of Jordan’s participation in the event, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Abu Jajah achieved three victories, qualifying him for the semi-finals before losing to a Cuban player, winning the bronze medal at the World Championship in Tashkent, which featured the participation of 538 athletes representing 107 countries.

In badminton, the national team and PSD player Baha Shanik achieved a historic achievement by qualifying for the world championships, which will be held in Denmark in August.

Shanik earned the qualification card to become the first Jordanian player to qualify for the World Championships in the individual category, after achieving several “outstanding” results. Shanik managed to advance 14 places in the ranking, and is now the top Arab player and is ranked 88th internationally.

The paralympic national team and PSD runner Nabil Maqableh achieved the gold medal at the Italian International Grand Prix, which saw 496 players from 65 countries.

Maqableh succeeded in completing the 1,500 metre race in four minutes and twenty-four seconds amid intense competition among the best runners.

Taekwondo and boxing players in particular have demonstrated excellence and progress in the international rankings of both sports, the PSD statement said.

PSD player Juliana Sadiq, a member of the national Taekwondo team, advanced to the top of the international Taekwondo rankings in the under 67 kilogrammes (kg) weight class, making her the first Arab player to achieve the top international ranking in the sport.

PSD player Zeid Halawani came second in the under 68kg weight  class, and PSD athlete Saleh Sharabati ranked fourth in the under 80kg category.

PSD boxer Ziad Ashish topped the world ranking for the 71kg weight class, and Abu Jajah advanced to fourth in the world for the 60kg weight class. Boxer Hussein Ashish was 11th in the world for the 91kg weight class, and Odai Hindawi was 14th in the 86kg weight class. 

PSD boxer Yousef Ashish was 23rd in the world for the 57kg weight class, and Obadah Kisbeh ranked 28th for the 63.5kg weight class.