Youth Olympics bronze for Jordan in taekwondo

AMMAN — Jordan have launched their campaign at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires with a medal for rising taekwondo star Zaid Mustafa, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service.

After receiving a bye into the quarter-finals, the 17-year-old charged past Spain’s Hugo Arillo 25-5 to guarantee a medal for Jordan on their first day of competition.

His semifinal match was against the impressive Korean, Kangmin Kim, who showed his class to win 31-16 and reach the final.

For Mustafa, he settled for a bronze medal and showed glimpses of why he is rated as one of Jordan’s brightest prospects.

He becomes only the third Jordanian to win a Youth Olympic medal. “I am obviously disappointed to have lost in the semi-final but taking the bronze medal means a lot to me,” said Mustafa.

“I will be cheering on my teammates now to hopefully help them also reach the podium.” Taekwondo’s Natalie Al Humaidi will launch her campaign on Wednesday against Ireland’s Yalda Valinejad in the -63kg category.