ST. GALLEN, Switzerland | Israeli para taekwondo athlete Omer Barel has won a silver medal at the 2026 Swiss Open in St. Gallen, securing his first international medal only months after beginning his competitive career in the sport and less than three years after losing his left arm while serving in Gaza.
Barel, a former competitive judoka and Israeli youth champion, reached the final during the para taekwondo competition on Sept. 6. The Swiss Open was held from Sept. 4 to 6, with para taekwondo included in the event for the first time.
The medal represents another milestone in an extraordinary return to elite sport for the 24-year-old Israeli, whose athletic career appeared to have been permanently altered when he was severely wounded by an RPG strike in Gaza on Jan. 16, 2024.
Barel lost his left arm and also suffered a severe leg injury. His recovery included approximately eight months of hospitalization, more than 20 operations, repeated complications from infections, physiotherapy, and later a trip to the United States to be fitted with a prosthesis.
Now he is back in international competition, but in a different martial art.
From Israeli Judo Champion to IDF Tank Crewman
Barel grew up in Kokhav Yair and began practicing judo at six.
He eventually reached Israel’s national youth team and competed in the under-81-kilogram division, winning Israeli youth championships and participating in international competitions and training camps.
Despite his success in judo, Barel chose to prioritize military service when he enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces.
In an interview with the Israeli publication Davar, he said he specifically sought a combat assignment and was ultimately placed in the Armored Corps.
Barel was preparing to return to civilian life when Hamas-led terrorists attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. He returned to military service and subsequently fought in Gaza.
On Jan. 16, 2024, his tank was struck by an RPG.
Barel remained conscious while being evacuated by helicopter and understood early in the process that he faced a lengthy rehabilitation and would have to adapt to life without his left arm.
His injuries also threatened something that had been central to his life since childhood: competitive sport.
A New Sport and a New Competitive Career
The path back to competition eventually came through para taekwondo.
Israel’s Paralympic sports system approached Barel because athletes with upper-limb impairments are eligible for para taekwondo competition.
Initially reluctant, he eventually attended a training session.
The experience brought back the competitive feeling he had known as a judoka.
“That feeling of being back in the arena and doing what I’m good at returned to me,” Barel told Davar. “It gave me a new purpose in life.”
The transition required Barel to learn a substantially different combat sport.
Judo depends heavily on grips, throws, and close physical contact. Taekwondo places far greater emphasis on kicking, speed, distance and leg control.
Barel began training in recent months at Israel’s national facility in Ramla alongside members of the country’s Olympic and Paralympic taekwondo programs.
His progress was rapid.
In June, Barel competed at the Israeli senior taekwondo championships in Jerusalem. According to Israeli sports reporting, he was among new members of the Paralympic team competing against able-bodied opponents.
He then made his international para taekwondo debut at the President’s Cup in Germany.
Only months later, he traveled to Switzerland and reached the podium.
Silver in St. Gallen
The Swiss Open marked the first time a para taekwondo competition had been included in the tournament. World Taekwondo and the European Taekwondo Union sanctioned the event, and Swiss Taekwondo organized it.
Barel’s silver medal marked his first international victory and first international podium finish in para taekwondo. Israel’s official social media account celebrated the achievement as his first international final and described it as a milestone following his rehabilitation and transition into the sport.
The achievement is particularly striking because Barel remains near the beginning of his para taekwondo career.
He has also said he draws inspiration from Israeli para taekwondo champion Asaf Yasur, who lost both hands as a teenager and went on to become one of Israel’s leading Paralympic athletes.
Barel told Davar that he had heard Yasur’s story years before his own injury and now trains alongside him.
“I hope to reach those levels as well,” Barel said.
The silver medal in Switzerland is an early indication of how quickly that new career is developing.
Less than three years after the RPG strike in Gaza changed his life, Barel is again representing Israel in international competition.
This time, he is doing it in a new sport, with his first international medal already around his neck.
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