Omar Salim

Omar Gergely Salim (born 12 April 2003) is an American-Hungarian taekwondo athlete. He is the youngest son of Gergely Salim, a former Olympic champion.[1][2][3] He became a Hungarian citizen in 2022.

Omar Salim
Personal information
Birth nameOmar Gergely Salim
Born (2003-04-12) 12 April 2003
Carson, California, United States
Weight54 kg (119 lb)
Sport
CountryHungary
SportTaekwondo
Event(s)Finweight
Flyweight
ClubSalim's Taekwondo Center
MTK Budapest (2019–)
Coached byGergely Salim (father)
Medal record
Representing  Hungary
Men's taekwondo
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2022 Guadalajara54 kg
European Championships
Gold medal – first place2021 Sofia54 kg
Gold medal – first place2022 Manchester54 kg
European Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place2019 Marina D'Or45 kg
Representing  United States
Men's taekwondo
Pan American Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place2019 Portland45 kg

Career

He won the gold medal at the 2021 European Taekwondo Championships men's 54 kgs.[4] A month later, he qualified to the 2020 Summer Olympics through the 2021 European Taekwondo Olympic Qualification Tournament. At the Taekwondo event of the Tokyo Olympics he was not able to go beyond the preliminary round.

Personal life

He was born to a Tanzanian father and a Hungarian mother. The youngest son of former Olympic, world and european champion Gergely Salim. His uncle Joseph Salim, was also a 6-time European medalist. His brother and training partner, Shariff Salim, was Pan American Junior champion in 2019, alongside him.

One of his main supporters and sponsors is Swedish footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović, as he used to train with master Gergely Salim at his dojang Salim's Taekwondo Center in Los Angeles. Zlatan played for LA Galaxy from 2018 to 2019 and was always passionate about taekwondo.[5][6]

References
  1. "Home". Salim's Taekwondo Center. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  2. Pegher, Kelcie. "Meet the family of taekwondo champions in Redondo Beach". The Beach Reporter. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  3. "SALIM Omar - Olympic profile". Olympics. Archived from the original on 2021-07-21. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  4. "Teenagers take gold on opening day of European Taekwondo C.. [World Taekwondo]". m.worldtaekwondo.org. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  5. "Ibrahimovic's Favorite Eyes Hungary's First Olympic Gold in Taekwondo". Hungary Today. 2021-07-21. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  6. "Zlatan Ibrahimović support tweet". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
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