Palestine's Omar Ismail vows to show 'strength and spirit of our nation' at Paris 2024

The 18-year-old taekwondo fighter carries a message from his people and has genuine medal hopes at the Olympic Games

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This summer has already witnessed the coming of age of one precocious teenager. Lamine Yamal's performances for Spain helped La Roja clinch a historic fourth European Championship in Germany.

Spain won all of their seven games on their way to clinching the Euro 2024 title with Yamal, the prodigious Barcelona winger who only celebrated his 17th birthday on the eve of the final, undoubtedly the tournament's breakthrough star.

For the next two weeks or so the sporting lens shifts its focus from football to the Olympics, the multisport extravaganza held every four years - this time in Paris.

With all eyes on the French capital, another teenager hopes to make his own mark.

On March 18, Omar Ismail made history as the first Palestinian to qualify for an Olympic Games in taekwondo, the Korean martial art involving punching and kicking techniques.

One of three Palestinians who competed in the qualifying event in Tai’an, China, Ismail entered the men's 58kg class ranked fifth, but out-performed opponents from the UAE, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia to punch his ticket to Paris.

"It was a very emotional," Ismail, 18, told The National during a Zoom interview. "The [final] match was very hard, against the current number one in Asia, but I managed to win and to qualify to the Olympics.

"It's been a dream since I started taekwondo. I was dreaming to reach to the Olympics."

Ismail's taekwondo journey started in 2016 when he was 10 years old. Like most 10 year olds, he wanted to hang out with his older brother, who took up the sport with a friend, attending classes at the Sharjah Sports Club.

Ismail would go along to watch, even when his brother gave up the sport a year or so later. Tall for his age, Ismail caught the attention of Abdullah Hatim Almaazmi, who would go on to become his longtime coach. Though not disruptive watching from the sidelines, it was clear Ismail had energy to burn. Almaazmi ordered him to start coming to classes every day.

"I was tall and skinny, I was very young. I was hyper," said Ismail.

Still tall and skinny – 1.86 metres and not an ounce over 58kgs – taekwondo instilled a sense of discipline and purpose in Ismail, one that will see him accomplish what only 26 other Palestinians have managed before: become an Olympian.

Ismail's parents moved to the UAE in 2003. The second eldest of four siblings, his father runs a car rental and tourism company in Dubai while his mother takes care of his two younger sisters at home.

Ismail has just completed his first year studying physiotherapy at Sharjah University, but it is in taekwondo where he truly excels.

Though a keen footballer during childhood – his favourite team is Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo his favourite player – Ismail is already a black belt and carries genuine medal prospects.

At the time of this interview, he is between training camps. He has just returned from Kazakhstan, via Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia, and is set to fly out for his final camp in Tunisia before heading for his final destination: Paris.

Palestinian Olympic delegation arrives in Paris

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"I hope I can be in good shape in Paris, and I think I have the advantage to get a medal. I've worked very hard for this," he said. "Now I'm just working more on my mentality. I hope I can be in good shape."

So what does a typical training day look like?

"Morning session is two hours of cardio. Sometimes we lift weights in the morning, and then in the afternoon session we do taekwondo training, technical training. Sometimes we do sparring," Ismail said.

"For now, I have three sessions a day. The third session is 45 minutes stretching before I sleep."

Call it the exuberance of youth, one thing Ismael does not lack is confidence. Paris will be his first Games, and yet he has set his goals high.

For many, simply reaching the Olympics is the pinnacle of sporting achievement. The chance to compete against the best athletes on the planet every four years is one few get to experience. For Ismail, though, reaching Paris is just the start.

"It's a dream. Every athlete has a goal in his life, and my goal is to reach the Olympics and get a medal," he said. "I was very happy, very emotional, reaching the Olympics, but I wasn't fully happy, because I have only one target: win the gold medal in Paris.

"Nothing is impossible, I’ve been working very hard, and I hope I can get a gold medal. And you see me on the podium."

Ismail is part of an eight-strong Palestinian squad headed for the Olympics, an achievement in itself, given the horrors of the Gaza conflict, now in its ninth month.

The Palestine Olympic Committee estimates over 400 athletes, coaches and sporting officials in Gaza have been killed or wounded since the start of Israel's military campaign, though that figure is hard to verify.

Cheeky and bubbly, Ismail's demeanor notably changes when the question of what it means to represent Palestine at the Olympics comes up. While he and his family live comfortably in the UAE, the plight of his people and sending a message to the world is something he takes seriously.

"Representing Palestine in this big event is just a [huge] pride for me. I'm very proud to represent Palestine, specifically in this moment," Ismail said.

"We have a message to the world that Palestinian athletes have the courage, the power to reach higher levels, even though there is some problems happening there. We are trying, and we will like that the people hear us, hear our message."

Israel's continuous assault on the besieged enclave continues to garner international condemnation, and Ismail expects plenty of support for Palestinian athletes in Paris.

"It will be very emotional when we see the people around us very happy to see Palestine," he said.

"These people, maybe they don't know us, but they love our country. And I think we have a lot of supporters, a lot of fans coming.

"I'm filled with determination, and every training session, every drop of sweat, every moment and hard work has led me to this point. I promise to give my all and do whatever it takes to raise my country's flag at the top of the podium.

"And I just want to tell them [people of Palestine], thank you for your support and encouragement that has led me to this. And together we will show the whole world what's the strength and spirit of our nation."

Roots in Sharjah, heart in Palestine, heading for Paris, aiming for gold.