Antwerp 2023: Ahmed Abu Al-Soud of Jordan eyes Paris 2024 qualification after reaching FIG World Championships final
Jordanian gymnast, Ahmed Abu Al-Soud performing his FIG-registered signature movement “Abu Al Soud“ in his specialty, the pommel horse (Photo by JOC).
LAUSANNE, October 6, 2023 - Jordanian artistic gymnast Ahmad Abu Al-Soud, 28-year-old, seems determined to make up for his “disappointing” pommel horse performance at the recent Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, by aiming for the gold medal in the pommel horse apparatus final of FIG World Gymnastics Championships 2023 Antwerp on Saturday, October 7. Winning the event will earn him a direct ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympics, which will take from July 26 to 11 August 2024.
DOUBLE THE TROUBLE Ahmad, a two-time champion in pommel horse at the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in 2019 and 2022, unexpectedly placed 18th with a total of 12.7 at the Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, despite the high expectations and the Olympic Committee’s technical team bet on his talent and ability to win a gold medal. He has been able to weave his amateur beginnings in the sport into an active role, becoming a darling of the gymnastics community with a pretty promising career run, boasting a gold medal in the Islamic Solidarity Games Konya 2021 and FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup 2022, in addition to being a three-year reigning Arab Champion.
Abu Al-Soud came in fourth place out of 140 players in Antwerp on Tuesday, with a score of 14.900, noting that the first 8 players in the qualifiers, qualify for the final round.
INJURY & RECOVERY Ahmad suffered from a “back muscle nervous strain” during the second quarter of this year, causing him to miss multiple rounds of the FIG World Cup series, before his participation in Hangzhou and Antwerp. After rehabilitation he returned to swinging again on his pommel horse. During his participation in Antwerp, he performed his FIG-registered signature movement “Abu Al Soud” with greater difficulties under the leadership of his Armenian coach, Gurgen Sirikanyan.
EYEING GOLD IN ANTWERP Ahmad spoke to the media after his participation in the Asian Games saying: “I am thankful for everything that I achieved. I wasn’t fortunate at the Asian Games, but now it is history. I see myself ready to compete in Antwerp 2023 with a strong aim to touch gold,” Which could be enough to grant him the only Paris 2024 qualification card allocated for the pommel horse apparatus, and to avoid entering into any difficult qualifying calculations.
LIVERPOOL Abu Al-Soud won a pommel horse silver medal at the last World Championships, held in Liverpool, after executing his signature movement with new difficulties, collecting 14,866 points, behind the Irishman Rhys McClingman, who won the gold medal by collecting 15,300 points. While Armenian Harutyun Merdinyan came in third place, taking the bronze medal with 14,733 points.
KING OF JORDAN AWARD His Majesty Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein, King of Jordan awarded last year the Golden Medal of Excellence of the First Category to Abu Al-Soud, in recognition of his achievements. It is an incentive for the world champion and the Jordanian gymnastics family to continue achieving more successes.
DOUBLE THE TROUBLE Ahmad, a two-time champion in pommel horse at the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in 2019 and 2022, unexpectedly placed 18th with a total of 12.7 at the Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, despite the high expectations and the Olympic Committee’s technical team bet on his talent and ability to win a gold medal. He has been able to weave his amateur beginnings in the sport into an active role, becoming a darling of the gymnastics community with a pretty promising career run, boasting a gold medal in the Islamic Solidarity Games Konya 2021 and FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup 2022, in addition to being a three-year reigning Arab Champion.
Abu Al-Soud came in fourth place out of 140 players in Antwerp on Tuesday, with a score of 14.900, noting that the first 8 players in the qualifiers, qualify for the final round.
INJURY & RECOVERY Ahmad suffered from a “back muscle nervous strain” during the second quarter of this year, causing him to miss multiple rounds of the FIG World Cup series, before his participation in Hangzhou and Antwerp. After rehabilitation he returned to swinging again on his pommel horse. During his participation in Antwerp, he performed his FIG-registered signature movement “Abu Al Soud” with greater difficulties under the leadership of his Armenian coach, Gurgen Sirikanyan.
EYEING GOLD IN ANTWERP Ahmad spoke to the media after his participation in the Asian Games saying: “I am thankful for everything that I achieved. I wasn’t fortunate at the Asian Games, but now it is history. I see myself ready to compete in Antwerp 2023 with a strong aim to touch gold,” Which could be enough to grant him the only Paris 2024 qualification card allocated for the pommel horse apparatus, and to avoid entering into any difficult qualifying calculations.
LIVERPOOL Abu Al-Soud won a pommel horse silver medal at the last World Championships, held in Liverpool, after executing his signature movement with new difficulties, collecting 14,866 points, behind the Irishman Rhys McClingman, who won the gold medal by collecting 15,300 points. While Armenian Harutyun Merdinyan came in third place, taking the bronze medal with 14,733 points.
KING OF JORDAN AWARD His Majesty Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein, King of Jordan awarded last year the Golden Medal of Excellence of the First Category to Abu Al-Soud, in recognition of his achievements. It is an incentive for the world champion and the Jordanian gymnastics family to continue achieving more successes.
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