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Jordan's first Olympic medalist comes home to royal welcome

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) - Jordan's first Olympic champion, taekwondo gold medal winner Ahmad Abughaush, has returned home to a royal welcome.

The 20-year-old was greeted by three princes, his family and a cheering crowd late on Tuesday at the kingdom's main airport, after his return from the Rio games.

Abughaush told reporters that he hopes to "uphold this title which I achieved this year, and to win in the upcoming Olympics 2020."

His surprise win last week set off cheers across Jordan, which had never won an Olympic medal before. A public celebration will be held on Friday in a park in the Jordanian capital, Amman.

In this Tuesday, August 23, 2016, photo, Ahmad Abughaush, who won a taekwondo gold medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics, kisses his mother on his arrival to the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan. Abughaush, Jordan's first Olympic champion, has returned home to a royal welcome. The 20-year-old was greeted by three princes and a cheering crowd at the kingdom's main airport, after his return from the Rio games. Abughaush says he'll seek to defend his title at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh) The Associated Press
In this Tuesday, August 23, 2016, photo, Ahmad Abughaush, winner of a taekwondo gold medal from the 2016 Olympics, greets his father on his arrival to the Queen Alia International Airport, in Amman, Jordan. Abughaush, Jordan's first Olympic champion, has returned home to a royal welcome. The 20-year-old was greeted by three princes and a cheering crowd at the kingdom's main airport, after his return from the Rio games. Abughaush says he'll seek to defend his title at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh) The Associated Press
In this Tuesday, August 23, 2016, photo, Jordanian Prince Faisal Bin Al Hussein, center left, greets taekwondo gold medal winner in the 2016 Olympics, Ahmad Abughaush, center right, and his parents, on his arrival to the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan. Abughaush, Jordan's first Olympic champion, returned home to a royal welcome. The 20-year-old was greeted by three princes and a cheering crowd at the kingdom's main airport, after his return from the Rio games. Abughaush says he'll seek to defend his title at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh) The Associated Press
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