Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
Palestinian Taekwondo player Ahmed Bahloul aspires to become the world champion in this most popular martial art in the world, as it is practiced by 200 million people, more than three million of whom hold a black belt, which is a sign of their distinction and mastery of this extremely violent sport. Bahloul was able to master the sport at record speed, and at the age of 15 he participated in the first international tournaments in his life, where he participated in the Asian Junior Championships held in Kazakhstan and won the first bronze medal in his sporting career. To the sounds of the Palestinian national anthem, the taekwondo player raised the silver medal that he deservedly won in the fifth session of the Islamic Solidarity Games, after difficult rounds of fighting that he fought with the strongest players in the game and ranked first in the world in the taekwondo competition under 74 kg. This is the second medal in the history of Palestine’s participation in the Islamic Solidarity Games. The path to professionalism was the beginning of Ahmed (20 years old) practicing taekwondo, from Askar camp in the city of Nablus, after watching a fighting match on television. He then made the decision to go to the club to play it. Bahloul, who is currently residing in a training camp in the Emirates, says: “At the age of 14, I started this sport because I am fond of combat games, as it is fun for both the player and the spectator, and from the first day I knew that I would achieve high ambitions in this game.” His two brothers preceded him in this game, but they did not complete it. One of them eventually became a physical preparation coach, and he was the one who supervised his talent from the beginning and was his personal coach and moral motivator. Bahloul continues to "Palestine": "I was able to master the sport at record speed, and at the age of 15 I participated in the first international tournaments in my life, where I participated in the Asian Junior Championships, which was held in Kazakhstan and won a bronze medal." He points out that for the first time he is participating in the Islamic Solidarity Games tournament, after accumulating combat experience in fights with international players, “and accordingly, I was able to achieve a great achievement in this international forum, which was hosted by the Turkish city of Konya last August.” Bahloul describes the competition in this tournament as “fierce,” as players from the strongest countries known for their skills in this game, such as Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Indonesia, and others, competed against each other. It is noteworthy that he was able to win in the first match against the Indonesian player, and in the second he achieved victory over the Kazakh player, moving on to face the Turkish player ranked first in Europe, and he was able to qualify for the final match and went down against the Iranian player, who defeated him by a small margin. Read your opponent. When asked about the characteristics that a person must have to be a professional Taekwondo player, Bahloul answers: “Anyone can be a professional Taekwondo player, and it is not necessary for him to have extraordinary qualities. It is enough for him to be smart and quick-witted, so he can read his opponent in a way.” Correct, he must be tall, and his reaction is very fast, and this applies to all fighting games.” The Islamic Solidarity Games Championship was not the only achievement that Bahloul achieved, as at the beginning of his sporting career he achieved bronze in the Asian Junior Championships, and silver in the Turkish Open Taekwondo Championship, and similar to it, it was held in Bulgaria and was crowned with gold, as well as in the Fujairah International Taekwondo Championship, where he won gold, silver, and the championship. The Arab Taekwondo team won silver and bronze, while in the Asian Championship held in South Korea, it won silver and bronze. In the Al-Hassan Open Taekwondo Championship, he won gold and silver, and at the Palestinian level, he won four gold medals. The national taekwondo team player, Ahmed Bahloul, jumped to 21st place internationally in the middleweight category, according to the latest classification issued by the International Taekwondo Federation for last July. Bahloul was ranked 28th in the world, in the June rankings, jumping 7 places and reaching 21st place in the weight category in which he competes. Bahloul describes the moments of victory as the greatest feeling a person can feel in his life, pointing out that he did not celebrate it alone, but the Palestinian delegation greatly celebrated his victory, because he raised the Palestinian flag high. He explains that every person in the delegation had an impact on his victory. “The victory is not the victory of the player alone, but rather the work of all the players and coaches.” The specificity of Palestine. The Taekwondo player confirms that winning medals does not only concern him, but it concerns every Palestinian player. It is an incentive for them to achieve what they aspire to, and prove to the world that Palestine exists and possesses an elite group of skilled players who can raise its flag in all international forums. The journey of championships and successes is not a bed of roses, but rather full of challenges and obstacles, as Bahloul points out that Palestine has a great peculiarity, starting with the obstacle of issuing a visa to participate in Arab and international championships, and the lack of players’ contact with the outside world, as they do not participate in external camps in order to play friendly matches. With international players who have high skills in this game. The international player, Bahloul, is preparing for the World Taekwondo Championship, which will be held in Mexico next November, and he is hopeful of achieving a new and unique achievement for Palestine.
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