Israel’s senior taekwondo championships for 2026 took place today in Jerusalem, with about 150 male and female fighters from the country’s leading clubs taking part. The event, the sport’s main annual showcase in Israel, crowned national champions in multiple weight classes in the presence of representatives of Jerusalem municipality, which hosted the competition.
During the championship, the Israeli Taekwondo Association also held a tribute ceremony for outgoing Olympic Committee CEO Gili Lustig and outgoing high-performance sport unit director Dani Oren. The association presented both men with personalized black belts in recognition of their long cooperation with the federation and its coaches, which it said helped develop Israeli taekwondo and produce major international achievements, including the sport’s first Olympic medal.
Alongside the Olympic bouts, para-taekwondo matches were also held. For the first time at an Israeli championship, the new national-team members Omer Barel and Adnan Jarjousi competed against non-disabled opponents. Barel was badly wounded in the fighting in the Gaza Strip and lost his arm to an RPG strike, then began taekwondo training a few months ago and already made his international debut in Germany. Jarjousi, who lost his arm in an electrocution accident, recently joined the para team. Both train alongside Israel’s leading international medalists, including Asaf Yasur and Adnan Milad.
The 2026 men’s champions were Tom Peshkovsky (54 kg), Tomer Barash (58 kg), Liam Cohen (63 kg), Nimrod Kravitsky (68 kg), Yehonatan Elkali (74 kg), Shmuel Rahmani (80 kg), Eliyahu Rahmani (87 kg) and Ilya Ruderman (87+ kg). The women’s champions were Shir Belcher (46 kg), Rivka Baich (49 kg), Yarden Nesher (53 kg), Ariel Vigdor (57 kg), Anna Nisenvich (67 kg) and Lipaz Hajama (73+ kg).
