Zaid Kareem is among the most talented taekwondo fighters in Jordan. The 22-year-old athlete bagged a silver medal in the October 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. Still, his country’s men’s national football team stunned the continent when they finished second in the Asian Cup.
A few national taekwondo teams, such as Kazakhstan, Greece, Tunisia, and Greece, trained at the Fujairah Martial Arts Club in preparation for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics. Some of the athletes who trained at the club were Kareem, the Jordanian 2018 Youth Olympics bronze winner; the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics silver winner; Saleh El Sharabaty (-80kg) from Jordan; and Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi (-58kg) from Tunisia.
Jordan’s Rising Taekwondo Fighters
Kareem is amongst the rising Jordanian taekwondo athletes. He hopes to excel in Paris and win another medal for Jordan. Ahmad Abughaush led the -68kg division in the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics and bagged Jordan’s first medal. Saleh Al Sharabaty won the second medal, silver, in Tokyo.
Julyana AI Sadeq set history in 2023, being the first Arab and Jordanian woman to lead the global taekwondo rankings. Sadeq had previously won a medal in December 2022 at the Saudi Grand Prix.
Al-Sadeq, Al Sharabaty, and Zaid Kareem Will Compete in Paris
Kareem informed The National reporters that he trains and spends most of his time with Al Sharabaty and Al-Sadeq. They are a family, not just a team. Kareem disclosed that the three athletes often visit one another. Al Sharabaty’s win in the Tokyo Olympics increased Kareem’s confidence as the two usually train together. Besides, it inspired the young athlete to bag many medals since 2020.
Zaid Kareem Grows His Taekwondo Career
Kareem missed the Tokyo Olympics since he was a teenager. But, he drastically improved in 2022 when his Olympic ranking from No. 38 to No.6. Kareem stated that he has been under immense pressure since 2020 and has fought in many tournaments. They wanted to advance to the Paris Olympics through world ranking instead of continental qualifiers.
The Young athlete boasted of beating many renowned fighters in 2022 like the gold, bronze, and silver medalists in the Tokyo Olympics. Kareem’s victories assured him that he is among the top fighters globally.
Even so, last year was tough for Kareem as each point he amassed affected his rankings and the Olympics’ qualification. But he is relaxed now and will concentrate on camps from now until July.
His Introduction to Taekwondo
Kareem’s father introduced him to taekwondo at the age of five. He often took him to a popular taekwondo club in their neighborhood to exercise. But the athlete won his first international medal when he was 14, in the Cadets Division. He competed in the Buenos Aires Youth Olympics in 2019. Kareem reminisces about being at that podium and refers to the 2019 competition as one of his best.
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