Abu Ghaush inspired by boxing teammate’s Olympic spirit

AMMAN — Jordan taekwondo star Ahmad Abu Ghaush has said that the performance of his boxing teammate Hussein Ishaiash on Tuesday has inspired him ahead of his -68kg competition on Thursday in Rio de Janeiro, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service.

The 20-year-old student is among the 16 best fighters in the world to battle it out for glory and he will begin his campaign against Egypt’s Ghofran Ahmed, 23, who he has beaten in their last three meetings.

“I watched Hussein’s performance and it has really inspired me,” said Abu Ghaush, who is the youngest in the competition. “He faced the world champion and yet he took the fight to him and showed tremendous courage. I hope to do the same.

“I have a very tough first match. I have faced him three times and won all three but only by a single point on each occasion, the last time was about four months ago.”

Abu Ghaush is also in the same side of the draw as Korean world champion Daehoon Lee so the road to the medal matches is very tough.

“I am just focussing on my first fight,” he said. “It is unwise to plan ahead as the next fight is the only one that matters right now.

“I have trained hard since arriving in Rio and I feel in good shape so I am asking for Jordan to get behind me and pray for me. I will be doing my best for my country.”

Abu Ghaush qualified for the Olympics by winning the Asian round of qualifiers and has spent time in Europe and Asia on camps in preparation for Thursday.

Ghofran can speak three languages — English, Arabic and Italian — and weighs in around the same weight as Abu Ghaush but can boast a 14cm height advantage. He secured a spot for the 2016 Olympic Games by winning the 2016 African Olympic Qualification Tournament in Agadir, Morocco.