Ahmad Abu Al-Soud (Arabic: احمد ابو السعود; born 5 July 1995)[2] is a Jordanian artistic gymnast. He became the first gymnast from Jordan to medal at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships when he won the silver medal on pommel horse at the 2022 World Championships. He then won the bronze medal on the pommel horse at the 2023 World Championships. He is also the 2019 and 2022 Asian champion on the pommel horse. He represented Jordan at the 2024 Summer Olympics, the first gymnast from Jordan to do so.

Ahmad Abu Al-Soud
Country represented Jordan
Born (1995-05-07) 7 May 1995 (age 29)
Amman, Jordan[1]
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
LevelSenior International Elite
Head coach(es)Gurgen Sirekanian
Medal record
Representing  Jordan
Men's artistic gymnastics
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2022 Liverpool Pommel horse
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Antwerp Pommel horse
Asian Championships
Gold medal – first place 2019 Ulaanbaatar Pommel horse
Gold medal – first place 2022 Doha Pommel horse
Silver medal – second place 2023 Singapore Pommel horse
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Tashkent Pommel horse
Islamic Solidarity Games
Gold medal – first place 2021 Konya Pommel horse
FIG World Cup
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
World Cup 2 1 1
World Challenge Cup 2 0 2
Total 4 1 3

Career

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Abu Al-Soud began gymnastics when he was four years old.[3] He considered retiring in 2015, but his coach encouraged him to continue.[4]

Abu Al-Soud won the bronze medal on the pommel horse at the 2016 Mersin World Challenge Cup.[5] He placed sixth on the pommel horse at the 2017 Koper World Challenge Cup.[6] His first World Championships was in 2017, and he finished 36th on pommel horse in the qualification round.[7] He won his first major international medal at the 2019 Asian Championships, a gold on the pommel horse.[1][4] He won his first FIG World Cup gold medal at the 2021 Mersin World Challenge Cup on the pommel horse.[8]

2022

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Abu Al-Soud began the 2022 season with a bronze medal on the pommel horse at the Cairo World Cup.[9] He won another pommel horse bronze medal at the Varna World Challenge Cup.[10] Then at the Asian Championships, he defended his pommel horse title.[11] At the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games (held in 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic),[12] he was a flag bearer in the opening ceremony alongside Aliya Boshnak.[1] He won the gold medal in the pommel horse final.[13]

At the World Championships in Liverpool, Abu Al-Soud qualified for the pommel horse event final in eighth place, becoming the first gymnast from Jordan to qualify for an event final at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.[14] He then won the silver medal in the pommel horse final behind Irish gymnast Rhys McClenaghan.[15] This marked the first time a gymnast from Jordan and the first time an Arab gymnast had won a medal at the World Championships.[3][16]

2023

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Abu Al-Soud finished eighth in the pommel horse final at the 2023 Cottbus World Cup.[17] At the Asian Championships, he won the silver medal on the pommel horse behind Kazakhstan's Nariman Kurbanov.[18] He won the gold medal by nearly a full point on the pommel horse at the Mersin World Challenge Cup.[19] At the 2022 Asian Games (held in 2023 due the COVID-19 pandemic),[20] he made a mistake in the qualification round and did not advance into the pommel horse final.[21] Then at the World Championships, he won the bronze medal on the pommel horse behind Rhys McClenaghan and Khoi Young.[22] Because he finished behind McClenaghan, he did not earn the pommel horse 2024 Olympic berth.[23]

2024

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Abu Al-Soud registered for the 2024 Apparatus World Cup Series to earn points for Olympic qualification.[24] He won the pommel horse gold medal at the first event in Cairo.[25] He then won the silver medal behind Kazakhstan's Nariman Kurbanov at the second event in Cottbus.[26] He won the gold medal at the final event in Doha,[27] securing qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games.[28] He is the first Jordanian gymnast to ever qualify for the Olympic Games.[29] He was the overall pommel horse winner of the World Cup series[30] and entered the 2024 Olympics as the world's number one ranked pommel horse gymnast.[31]

Abu Al-Soud won the gold medal at the 2024 Antalya World Challenge Cup ahead of Kurbanov by one-tenth of a point.[32] Then at the 2024 Asian Championships, he won the pommel horse bronze medal behind Kubanov and Uzbekistan's Abdulla Azimov.[33]

At the 2024 Olympics, Abu Al-Soud fell twice during his pommel horse qualification routine and failed to advance to the final,[34] scoring 12.466 and ranking 51st out of the 64 starting pommel horse gymnasts.[35]

Personal life

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Abu Al-Soud is in graduate school for a degree in sports science at Al-Ahliyya Amman University.[4][36]

Eponymous skill

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Abu Al-Soud has a skill on the pommel horse that is named after him in the Code of Points.[37][38]

Apparatus Name Description Difficulty[a] Added to Code of Points
Pommel horse Abu Al Soud Reverse Stockli from cross support on one end to the other D 2019 Koper World Challenge Cup
  1. ^ Valid for the 2022–2024 Code of Points

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Abu Al Soud Ahmad". International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  2. ^ "51st FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships Liverpool (GBR), 29 October - 6 November 2022 Men Entry List by NOC" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. International Gymnastics Federation. 31 October 2022. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  3. ^ a b Ibrahim Mustafa, Mays (6 November 2022). "Gymnastics 'runs in the blood' of Jordan's 1st world medalist". The Jordan Times. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Kwek, Kimberly; Lim, Kai Yue (18 June 2023). "History-making gymnasts from Chinese Taipei, Jordan and South Korea inspire those back home". The Straits Times. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  5. ^ "Turkish delight at Mersin World Challenge Cup". International Gymnastics Federation. 4 July 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  6. ^ "FIG World Challenge Cup 2017 Koper, Slovenia Men's Event Finals" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. p. 2. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Men's Qualifications, 2017 World Championships". FloGymnastics. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Three golds for Hungary at final World Challenge Cup of the season". International Gymnastics Federation. 13 September 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Armenian, Ukrainian gymnasts earn golden triples at Cairo Apparatus World Cup". International Gymnastics Federation. 22 March 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  10. ^ "Varna - Results Men 2022" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. 30 May 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  11. ^ Al-Omeri, Khaled (18 June 2022). "Abu Al-Saud wins gold at Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships". Jordan News. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  12. ^ Berkeley, Geoff (23 May 2021). "Islamic Solidarity Games postponed by 12 months due to COVID-19". Inside the Games. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  13. ^ Berkeley, Geoff (11 August 2022). "Iran win hat-trick of wrestling golds at Islamic Solidarity Games in Konya". Inside the Games. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  14. ^ "Across the Gymnastics universe, a Worlds that rang with the sounds of history". International Gymnastics Federation. 7 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  15. ^ "McClenaghan earns Ireland's first World title". International Gymnastics Federation. 5 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  16. ^ "Jordan NOC welcomes home gymnastics silver medallist Ahmad Abu Al Soud". Olympic Council of Asia. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  17. ^ "Gymnasts from seven nations snag titles at Cottbus World Cup". International Gymnastics Federation. 27 February 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  18. ^ "Ahmed Abu Al-Saud, a graduate student in the Department of Physical Education and Health at Al-Ahliyya Amman University, won the Silver Medal in the Asian Gymnastics Championship". Al-Ahliyya Amman University. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  19. ^ "Magnificent in Mersin, Ukraine and Türkiye savor golden days at World Challenge Cup". International Gymnastics Federation. 6 September 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  20. ^ Chakraborty, Amlan (6 May 2022). "Games Hangzhou Asian Games postponed until 2023 over COVID". Reuters. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  21. ^ "Abu Al-Saud Exits Asian Games". Jordan Olympic Committee. 24 September 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  22. ^ "Olympic champions lead the way as first apparatus titles decided in Antwerp". International Gymnastics Federation. 7 October 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  23. ^ Duffy, Patricia (9 October 2023). "Olympic berths awarded as final champions crowned at 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships". Gymnastics Now. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  24. ^ "For Artistic gymnasts, the race to Paris picks up with this week's Cairo World Cup". International Gymnastics Federation. 13 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  25. ^ "Olympic qualification is on as 2024 Artistic Gymnastics Apparatus World Cup series comes alive in Cairo". International Gymnastics Federation. 20 February 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  26. ^ "Champions in Cottbus! All the thrills from a World Cup weekend to remember". International Gymnastics Federation. 27 February 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  27. ^ "The Doha decider: inside a doubly significant weekend in Artistic Gymnastics". International Gymnastics Federation. 22 April 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  28. ^ "23 more Artistic gymnasts have earned Olympic berths! See who's headed to Paris here". International Gymnastics Federation. 22 April 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  29. ^ "Ahmad Abu Al Soud becomes first Jordanian gymnast to qualify for Olympics". Olympic Council of Asia. 21 April 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  30. ^ "Nemour, Derwael, Davtyans top the charts as 2024 World Cup series champions". International Gymnastics Federation. 23 April 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  31. ^ Lomas, Mark (2 July 2024). "Jordanian gymnast Ahmad Abu al-Soud eyes Olympic gold in Paris". Al Arabiya English. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  32. ^ "Barbosa, de Jesus dos Santos, Asil make golden impressions as World Challenge Cup season begins". International Gymnastics Federation. 1 April 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  33. ^ "Impressive Performances at the Senior Men's Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championship in Tashkent". Asian Gymnastics Union. 19 May 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  34. ^ Xinhua (28 July 2024). "China leads qualifying round of gymnastics men's team". China Daily Hong Kong. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  35. ^ "Men's Pommel Horse - Qualification results" (PDF). Olympics. 27 July 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  36. ^ "Abu Al-Saud Wins Bronze at the World Gymnastics Championship". Al-Ahliyya Amman University. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  37. ^ "2022 – 2024 Code of Points Men's Artistic Gymnastics" (PDF). International Gymnastics Federation. p. 76. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  38. ^ "10 new elements named for their creators in Men's Gymnastics". International Gymnastics Federation. 13 January 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
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