MUSCAT, NOV 12
Oman national taekwondo athlete Al Muhannad bin Tawfiq al Balushi impressed at the G1-rated Asian Taekwondo Club Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia recently as he had managed to secure the silver medal in the men’s under-58 kg category.
The 18-year-old began his Asian campaign with a convincing two-round victory over an Australian national team athlete. In the semifinal, he faced defending Asian champion Riyad Nasser, the tournament’s top seed and world No 15. The Omani athlete delivered an impressive performance, winning two rounds to one to advance to the final. Al Balushi finished with silver after losing the gold-medal contest to a Hong Kong national team athlete, concluding a strong campaign against high-level international opposition.
Speaking after the achievement, Al Muhannad said:” I am very happy with this achievement at the continental level. This result will mark an encouraging step for me as I am seeking to improve my world ranking and work towards qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. This silver medal will provide further motivation ahead of upcoming international competitions as I will continue my pursuit of sporting excellence and success for Oman on the world stage.”
“The competition was not easy at the G1-rated Asian Taekwondo Club Championships and I managed to learn and gain perfect experience from this event. I will look to use the experience from this event and will build on my achievement for the upcoming regional and international championships,” he concluded.
Tawfiq al Balushi, father of Al Muhannad, congratulated his son for this achievement. “Al Muhannad is moving on a perfect plan towards achieving his main goal to earn spot at Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. I would like to thank the government and private sectors for their support and we are looking for more assistance as this will support Al Muhannad to attend more events and train in high level camps to achieve his desired goal,” he said.
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