Or Sasson
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.
Sasson at the 2016 Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Native name | אור ששון | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nickname(s) | Sasson[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Jerusalem, Israel | 18 August 1990|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 | 3 (2016) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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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.
Biography
Sasson was born in Jerusalem, Israel, and is Jewish Kurdish.[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] Sasson is a fan of basketball and basketball team Hapoel Jerusalem B.C.[6]
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.[7][8]
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][9] 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][10]
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][11] He lost to 159 kg (351 lb) Adam Okruashvili of Georgia in the final.[12][13]
He won the silver medal at the 2016 European Judo Championships.[14]
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.[15][16][17] El Shahaby later announced that he was retiring from judo.[18][19][20]
Sasson also beat Polish judoka Maciej Sarnacki, defeated Dutch judoka Roy Meyer, and overcame Cuban judoka Alex Garcia Mendoza.[21][22] His only loss was in the semi-finals against the eventual gold medal winner French judoka Teddy Riner.[21][22]
Sasson was awarded the Olympic bronze medal at Judo +100 kg.[21][22]
After Rio
Sasson took part in the torch lighting ceremony at the 2017 Maccabiah Games on 6 July 2017.[23]
On 8 October 2017, Sasson competed at the 2017 Judo Grand Prix Tashkent, his first competition since the 2016 Olympics, and won the gold medal. [24] On 28 October, he won the bronze medal at the Grand Slam Abu Dhabi after he defeated Benjamin Harmegnies of Belgium by waza-ari.
In 2018, he won the silver medal in the 2018 Judo Grand Prix Zagreb.[2] In 2019 he won the gold medal at the 2019 Judo Grand Prix Tel Aviv, the silver medal at the Grand Slam of Ekaterinburg, and the gold medal at the Grand Prix in Budapest.[2]
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) |
2013 | 2013 European Judo Championships | 5th | Heavyweight (−100 kg) |
2009 | 2009 Maccabiah Games | Gold | Heavyweight (−100 kg) |
See also
References
- "Baku 2015 1St European Games – Athletes – SASSON Or". Baku 2015. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
- "Or Sasson, Judoka". judoinside.com.
- Uri Talshir (28 August 2013). "Israeli judoka Uri Sasson looks to add a notch to his belt". Haaretz.
- Stan Ramati (March/April 2015). ""Israeli Sports; Judo", Jewish Sports Review, Volume 9, Number 12, Issue 108, page 21
- "Alon Sasson, Judoka". judoinside.com.
- Amit Karako, "Hapoel Jerusalem's happening night," ONE, 16 September 2016
- Patrick Goodenough (26 July 2012). "'Gut Infection' Denies Iranian Chance to Compete in Olympics Against Israeli". CNS News.
- "Judo – Or Sasson (Israël)". les-sports.info (in French).
- 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.
- "Thumbs up for Or Sasson after gold medal in Tallinn". judoinside.com. 24 September 2014.
- "Silver medal in Judo to Ori Sasson". ynet. 27 June 2015.
- "Golden Adam Okruashvili proud best of the rest". judoinside.com. 27 June 2015.
- "מדליית כסף לאורי ששון באליפות אירופה בבאקו". Reshet (in Hebrew). 27 June 2015.
- "2016 European Judo Championships results - +100 kg". ippon.org. 24 April 2016.
- "Egyptian judo fighter refuses to shake Israeli opponent's hand". Retrieved 15 August 2016.
- "Egyptian Judo Athlete Refuses Israeli's Handshake". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
- Webster, Andrew (13 August 2016). "Teddy Riner wins Rio judo gold - but Israeli judoka all class in wake of Egypt handshake snub". Retrieved 15 August 2016.
- "Egyptian booed after refusing judo handshake". Los Angeles Times. 27 August 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- Pileggi, Tamar (12 August 2016). "WATCH: Egyptian judoka loses to Israeli, refuses to shake hands". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- "Egyptian booed for refusing to shake hands with Israeli after judo loss | Toronto Star". Thestar.com. 12 August 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- "Second medal for Israel: Or Sasson wins bronze in judo". www.israelnationalnews.com. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
- "Rio Olympics //Israeli judoka Or Sasson loses semifinal to French legend, but medal hopes linger - Sports". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
- "חזר בגדול: מדליית זהב לאורי ששון בטשקנט" [Came back big time: Gold medal for Ori Sasson in Tashkent]. ONE (in Hebrew). 8 October 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
External links
- Judoka profile
- "Huge Ippon win for Or Sasson" (video), baku2015.com, 27 June 2015