Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The University of Jordan (UJ) Sunday awarded Olympic gold medalists Ahmad Abughaush a full scholarship at a ceremony held to honour its faculty of physical education student.

The 20-year-old hero won the men's 68-kg taekwondo competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, after beating Russian favourite Alexey Denisenko in the final.

"He is a source of pride and model student, who truly belongs to his country and his university. We are proud of his achievement and holding Jordan's flag high", UJ president Dr. Azmi Mahafzah told the ceremony, pledging the university's full support of Abughaush "to win more championships and represent Jordan in all international (sporting) events".

Mahafzah said the UJ had spearheaded an academic movement for positive change stemming from its deep belief in encouraging and supporting excellence and providing outstanding students with the opportunity to harness their talents.

Abughaush foremost thanked the university for the facilities it offered him and the scholarship, expressing hope that his achievement will motivate Jordanian sportspeople for more achievement, and that it will be "the start of a new dawn for Jordanian sports, particularly taekwondo".

Abughaush claimed Jordan's first ever Olympic gold medal, using his quick style to score a 10-6 upset win over Denisenko, the 2012 London Games bronze medalist.

He advanced to the final after taking out twice world champion Lee Dae-hoon in the quarter-finals and then gold medal holder Joel Gonzalez in the last four.