Jordan’s Ahmad Al-Dahamsheh Wins Gold at Youth Olympic Games

Jordanian taekwondo athlete Ahmad Al-Dahamsheh won gold in the -73kg event at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, earning Jordan its second gold medal at the competition.

The 16-year-old began his campaign with a victory over Türkiye’s Berk Ercan Imamoglu in the Round of 16, before defeating Germany’s Christos Papathanasiou in the quarterfinals.

In the semifinals, Al-Dahamsheh overcame Mexico’s Jorge Octavio Martinez to secure an Olympic medal for Jordan. He then faced Azerbaijan’s Adil Kazimli in the final, winning in straight rounds to claim the gold medal.

Al-Dahamsheh’s triumph in Dakar builds on his growing record in the sport. Earlier in 2026, the Jordanian athlete won silver at the Turkish Taekwondo International Open before continuing to deliver positive results in subsequent competitions.

In August, he also claimed gold at the Al-Hassan International Taekwondo Championship, held in Jordan’s capital, Amman, as part of a strong showing by the Jordanian junior national team.

Speaking to the Jordan News Agency (Petra), Al-Dahamsheh said the gold medal was the result of the considerable efforts he had put into his preparation, alongside the support of the technical and administrative teams. He also expressed his pride in representing Jordan and standing on the podium at an international sporting event.

He added that the competition presented an important sporting challenge and that finishing first strengthened his ambition to continue developing and competing in upcoming tournaments, while achieving results that reflect positively on Jordanian sport.

Al-Dahamsheh noted that the achievement would also motivate him and his teammates on the Jordanian national team to continue delivering positive results, adding that he hopes to represent Jordan with distinction in future competitions.