Adnan Milad

Reason: He was visited by the father of Israeli Para taekwondoka Asaf Yasur during Milad's rehabilitation after having his right hand amputated. "Lior came and said that Asaf was his son, that he was also electrocuted and suffered a serious injury, and that he does taekwondo. He asked if it [taekwondo] was something that might interest me. I was always built for sports, I was a runner, played soccer, an average amateur athlete. Lior gave me the number of Gabriel Dolomon, a coach in the taekwondo team." After deciding not to pursue the sport following his rehabilitation, he tried taekwondo for the second time 18 months later. "About a year and a half later it suddenly came to my mind again, and I said, 'Well, I'll give it another chance'. I called Yechiam [Sharabi, national Para taekwondo coach] and asked to train alone, one on one. I didn't want to be in a group, but to absorb things and only then fit in with the rest. I called Gabriel Dolomon again, and I trained with him for a period of two or three months, three times a week, and then it increased to four and five trainings a week. With time and training I started to love what I do. I loved the investment in it, the hard work, pushing myself more and more until I got addicted to it. The first time I came to the [taekwondo] hall it was because my father asked me to try. I came for my father. When I came for the second time after a year and a half, it was for me." (mako.co.il, 29 Mar 2024) Ambition: To win gold at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (insidethegames.biz, 09 Mar 2024; israel21c.org, 14 Mar 2024; mako.co.il, 29 Mar 2024) Awards: He was named Discovery of the Year for 2023 at an awards ceremony held by the Israel Paralympic Committee and the Israel Sports Association for the Disabled. (ice.co.il, 01 Feb 2024)