Israel gets first-ever men's Taekwondo competitor at the Olympics
Ron Attias, a taekwondo fighter in the under-58 kilograms category, will be Israel's first-ever male representative in the sport at the 2016 Olympics after winning the gold medal at a qualification tournament in Turkey.
Taekwondo athlete Ron Attias will be Israel's first male Olympic competitor in the sport, after his performance at a qualifying tournament in Istanbul last Saturday.
Attias guaranteed his spot in Rio de Janeiro this summer after reaching the finals of the qualifiers, also winning the gold medal.
Attias won a silver medal in the European Taekwondo championships as a teenager and competes in the under-58 kilograms category.
He will be Israel's third-ever representative at the Olympics for Taekwondo, following Maya Arusi, who competed for Israel in the 2004 games in Athens and Bat-El Gatterer, who participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Attias' victory brings the total number of Israeli athletes heading to Rio to 18.
Ramle Mayor Yoel Lavi praised Attias, who is a resident of and trains in the city, saying: "It's a great honor for the state, for Ramle and for its residents. Congratulations to Ron on his historic achievment."
