Asaf Yasur wins gold at the Paris Paralympic Games after beating his Turkish opponent in taekwondo. "I couldn't be happier," he said after his win. "I thank my team, my sponsors, my family who came here and the people of Israel for their support."
Yasur, 22, who lost his hands in an electrocution accident as a boy, said he has rehabilitated his life and was not an athlete like all other athletes.
"I set a goal for myself, to become the best that I could be. We worked hard, my trainer Yehiam Sharabi and I," he said.
"The events of October 7 add significance to any fight or medal," Yasur told Ynet in an interview before leaving for the games. "I think about it when I wake up, when I begin to train and when I prepare mentally. The hope to raise Israel's flag, hear the national anthem and bring pride to the country, is instilled in all of us," he said.
President Isaac Herzog called to congratulate the gold medalist. "When he was hospitalized after his accident, I told him he would break records and change the world and here he is," Herzog said. "He brought much pride to the country."