Israeli taekwondo champ Asaf Yasur grabs gold on first day of Paris Paralympics
Backed by large contingent of well-wishers, athlete dedicates Israel’s first medal at Games and first-ever Paralympic gold in taekwondo to ‘my beloved country’
Amy Spiro is a reporter and writer with The Times of Israel
Israel’s Paralympic squad got off to a quick start in Paris on Thursday with flyweight Asaf Yasur winning a gold medal on the Taekwondo mat.
Asur, who lost his arms in an accident nine years ago, beat Turkey’s Ali Can Ozcan 18-12 in the final of the men’s under-58kg category, to secure Israel’s first medal of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, which officially began Thursday.
Following the match, Yasur donned an Israeli flag and was mobbed by a large crowd of well-wishers, who lifted him on their shoulders in an impromptu celebration on the arena floor to celebrate what was also Israel’s first-ever taekwondo gold at the Paralympic Games.
“An Olympic gold. Nobody is happier than me,” Yasur told Israel’s Sport5 broadcaster after the match. “[I went in] knowing the gold is mine and I want the gold. I’m going to fight for the gold, nobody will take it from me.”
The 22-year-old, who narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Tokyo Games three years ago, came into the competition as the world’s top-ranked competitor in his weight class, after winning world championships in 2021 and 2023.
On site to congratulate the medal winners was actor and famed martial artist Jackie Chan, who presented the Paralympic champions with a stuffed mascot representing the Paris Games.
Congratulations to Asaf Yasur for winning Israel’s first medal at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, a gold medal in Taekwondo! pic.twitter.com/cVZB7fa2WB
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) August 29, 2024
Yasur faced off against Ozcan after beating Thailand’s Thanwa Kaenkham 23-6 in the quarterfinal, followed by a 16-6 win against Taiwan’s Xiang Wen Xiao in the semifinal.
“We both fought and the better man won,” he said of the gold medal match, calling Ozcan a tough competitor.
Despite tensions between Israel and Turkey over the war in Gaza, both athletes appeared to keep things friendly, sharing an amiable arm pat after the match and posing together for a photo on the podium.
Yasur said three of his brothers had served in combat in the IDF over the past year, saying that they “gave me strength.”
“With everything my country is going through… this is the least I could do for my country,” he said, expressing hope for the return of the hostages, an end to the fighting and for “all the soldiers to return home healthy and whole.”
This medal, he said, “is dedicated to my beloved country.”
The athlete lost both of his arms up to the elbow when he was electrocuted while trying to retrieve a lost ball shortly before his 13th birthday.
Speaking to Yasur after the win, President Isaac Herzog recalled sending the athlete well wishes when he was hospitalized after the accident in 2015, which made national headlines at the time, “and since then you have been a source of inspiration for me.”
“Today you gave a huge gift to the State of Israel, a huge gift to many of those wounded in the war and wounded in the horrible terror attack. You gave them hope,” added the president.
Elsewhere at the games, Israeli Paralympic swimmer Ami Dadaon finished fifth in the men’s 50m breaststroke in the SB3 disability class.
Dadaon, 23, is slated to also swim in the men’s 100m freestyle, 150m individual medley, 200m freestyle and 50m freestyle in the coming week of competitions. The breaststroke is considered his weaker event.
Dadaon won three medals at the Tokyo Games — gold in the 50m freestyle, silver in the 150m individual medley and gold in the 200m freestyle, setting a world record. Dadaon, who was born with cerebral palsy, began swimming at age 6.
Earlier in the day, boccia player Nadav Levi won his first match against the Netherlands’ Marco Dekker and will face Tunisia’s Achraf Tayahi on Friday, while badminton athlete Nina Gorodetzky lost to Switzerland’s Cynthia Mathez in her opening match in the group round and will face Japan’s Sarina Satomi on Friday.
Israel’s 27-athlete strong Paralympic delegation is hoping to repeat the success of its Olympic counterpart, which brought home a record haul of seven medals earlier this month, including a gold in sailing.
Israel won nine medals at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics — eight of them in swimming, and six of them golds — its highest total since 2004 in Athens, when it took home 13 medals.
The Jewish state has competed in every Paralympics since they were first launched in 1960 and has overall won 385 medals, with most brought home in the 1970s and ’80s when it sent large delegations made up mostly of polio survivors and wounded war veterans.
