Or Sasson

Or Sasson

Sasson at the 2016 Olympics
Personal information
Native name אור ששון
Nickname(s) Sasson[1]
Nationality  Israel
Born (1990-08-18) 18 August 1990
Jerusalem, Israel
Residence Netanya, Israel
Alma mater Ruppin College
Height 193 cm (6 ft 4 in)[1]
Weight 120 kg (265 lb)[1]
Sport
Sport Judo
Event(s) +100 kg (220 pounds)
Club Meitav Jerusalem
Coached by Gill Offer, Oren Smadja
Achievements and titles
National finals Israeli Champion –100 kg (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011)
Israeli Champion +100 kg (2011, 2012)
Highest world ranking 5 (2016)
Medal record
Judo
Representing  Israel
Olympic Games
2016 Rio de Janeiro +100 kg
European Games
2015 Baku +100 kg
European Judo Championships
2016 Kazan +100 kg
Maccabiah Games
2009 Tel Aviv -100 kg

Or "Ori" Sasson (Hebrew: אור "אורי" ששון‎‎; born 18 August 1990) is an Israeli Olympic judoka.[2] He won a bronze medal in the +100 kg (+220 pounds) category at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

In June 2015, representing Israel at the 2015 European Games in judo in the +100 kg category in Baku, Azerbaijan, Sasson won a silver medal for Israel in the inaugural European Games. In doing so he won the silver medal in the 2015 European Judo Championship.

Early life

Sasson was born in Jerusalem, Israel, and is Jewish.[1][2][3][4] He is the younger brother of former judoka and Israel national team captain Alon Sasson,[5] who, when they were children, would hit him to show him who was boss.[3] He resides in Netanya, Israel, and studies Business Administration at Ruppin College.[1][3]

Judo career

Sasson started training in judo when he was eight years old.[3] His coaches are Gill Offer and Oren Smadja, his club is Meitav Jerusalem, and he started competing in 2005.[1][3] He has worked with Noam Eyal, a sports psychologist who works for the Olympic Committee of Israel.[3] Sasson won the Israeli judo championship at −100 kg (−220 pounds) in 2007–09 and 2011, and at +100 kg in 2011 and 2012.[2]

In July 2009 Sasson won the gold medal at the 2009 Maccabiah Games in Tel Aviv, Israel, in judo at −100 kg.[2] In September 2011 he competed in the Judo World Cup in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where Iranian Javad Mahjoub was slated to face him, but refused.[6][7]

In February 2012, he won a gold medal in the World Cup Prague in judo at +100 kg.[2] In February 2013 and the following month, Sasson won gold medals in the European Open Tbilisi in Georgia and the European Open Warsaw at −100 kg.[2][8] In September 2014, he won a gold medal at the European Open Tallinn in Estonia at +100 kg, as he weighed approximately 115 kg and returned from surgery on an injured thumb.[2][9]

On 26 June 2015, representing Israel at the 2015 European Games in judo in the +100 kg category (while weighing 120 kg (265 lb)) in Baku, Azerbaijan, Sasson won a silver medal for Israel in the inaugural European Games, and in doing so won the silver medal in the 2015 European Judo Championship.[1][2][10] He lost to 159 kg (351 lb) Adam Okruashvili of Georgia in the final.[11][12]

He won the silver medal at the 2016 European Judo Championships.[13]

Rio Olympics

At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Sasson defeated Egyptian judoka Islam El Shahaby in the first round. When the match ended, Sasson tried to shake his opponent's hand, but El Shahaby refused—to loud boos and jeers from the near-capacity crowd for the Egyptian's behavior.[14][15][16] El Shahaby later announced that he was retiring from judo.[17][18][19]

Sasson also beat Polish judoka Maciej Sarnacki, defeated Dutch judoka Roy Meyer, and overcame Cuban judoka Alex Garcia Mendoza.[20][21] His only loss was in the semi-finals against the eventual gold medal winner French judoka Teddy Riner.[20][21]

Sasson was awarded the Olympic bronze medal at Judo +100 kg.[20][21]

Achievements

Year Tournament Place Weight class
2016 2016 Summer Olympics Bronze Heavyweight (+100 kg)
2016 2016 European Judo Championships Silver Heavyweight (+100 kg)
2015 2015 European Games Silver Heavyweight (+100 kg)
2009 2009 Maccabiah Games Gold Heavyweight (-100 kg)

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Baku 2015 1St European Games – Athletes – SASSON Or". Baku 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Or Sasson, Judoka". judoinside.com.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Uri Talshir (28 August 2013). "Israeli judoka Uri Sasson looks to add a notch to his belt". Haaretz.
  4. ↑ Stan Ramati (March/April 2015). ""Israeli Sports; Judo", Jewish Sports Review, Volume 9, Number 12, Issue 108, page 21
  5. ↑ "Alon Sasson, Judoka". judoinside.com.
  6. ↑ Patrick Goodenough (26 July 2012). "'Gut Infection' Denies Iranian Chance to Compete in Olympics Against Israeli". CNS News.
  7. ↑ "Judo – Or Sasson (Israël)". les-sports.info (in French).
  8. ↑ Aaron Kallman (3 February 2013). "Iranian judoka boycotts Israeli; Forfeit gives Assaf Chen the bronze medal; another Iranian refuses to mount podium after Ori Sasson wins gold in his category". The Times of Israel.
  9. ↑ "Thumbs up for Or Sasson after gold medal in Tallinn". judoinside.com. 24 September 2014.
  10. ↑ "Silver medal in Judo to Ori Sasson". ynet. 27 June 2015.
  11. ↑ "Golden Adam Okruashvili proud best of the rest". judoinside.com. 27 June 2015.
  12. ↑ "מדליית כסף לאורי ששון באליפות אירופה בבאקו". Reshet (in Hebrew). 27 June 2015.
  13. ↑ "2016 European Judo Championships results - +100 kg". ippon.org. 24 April 2016.
  14. ↑ "Egyptian judo fighter refuses to shake Israeli opponent's hand". Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  15. ↑ "Egyptian Judo Athlete Refuses Israeli's Handshake". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  16. ↑ Webster, Andrew (2016-08-13). "Teddy Riner wins Rio judo gold - but Israeli judoka all class in wake of Egypt handshake snub". Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  17. ↑ "Egyptian booed after refusing judo handshake". Los Angeles Times. 2016-08-27. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
  18. ↑ Pileggi, Tamar (2016-08-12). "WATCH: Egyptian judoka loses to Israeli, refuses to shake hands". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
  19. ↑ "Egyptian booed for refusing to shake hands with Israeli after judo loss | Toronto Star". Thestar.com. 2016-08-12. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
  20. 1 2 3 "Second medal for Israel: Or Sasson wins bronze in judo". www.israelnationalnews.com. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  21. 1 2 3 "Rio Olympics //Israeli judoka Or Sasson loses semifinal to French legend, but medal hopes linger - Sports". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
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