Israelis You Should Know: Or Sasson

The Fellowship  |  August 19, 2016

Name: Or Sasson

Age: 26

Known for: Sasson is an Israeli judoka who won the bronze medal in the 100+ kg weight class at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

About him: Born on August 18, 1990, in Jerusalem, Or Sasson was raised in a Jewish family. Beginning at the age of eight, Sasson began learning judo, and has competed since the age of 15. Judo comes to him naturally, as Or’s brother Alon was formerly captain of Israel’s national judo team. Aside from his athletic career, Or is studying Business Administration at Israel’s Ruppin College.

Sasson has long been successful in the world of Israeli judo, having won the national championship in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2012. He has also won international championships, scoring gold in 2012 at the World Cup in Prague, and in 2013 and 2014 at the European Open. In 2015 and 2016, he won the silver medal at the European Championships.

Or made Israel proud last week, as he won bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics. His road to a medal was not without some controversy, though, as the Egyptian against which he competed earlier in the tournament was first urged not to compete against an Israeli, and then refused to shake Sasson’s hand once the Israeli judoka had won. We applaud Or Sasson for his victory in Rio, as well as his continued success on the world stage.