Oren Smadja
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox judoka
Shay-Oren Smadja (Template:Langx; born 20 June 1970) is an Israeli judo coach and former competitive judoka. Smadja won an Olympic bronze medal in judo at the 1992 Summer Olympics, making him the first Israeli male to win an Olympic medal, and the second Israeli overall after Yael Arad who won silver in judo the day before.[1]
Judo career
Smadja was born in Ofakim, Israel, to a family of Tunisian Jewish descent. He won an Olympic bronze medal in judo at the 1992 Summer Olympics in the under 71 kg category.[2] In 1995, he won a silver medal at the 1995 World Championships. The next year, he could not repeat his Olympic success when participating at the 1996 Summer Olympics.[3]
Smadja was nominated as the national coach of the Israeli men's judo team in 2010.[4]
Smadja coached several Israeli judokas including Or Sasson, winner of the bronze medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics (men's +100 kg); Sagi Muki, who won gold medals at the 2015 European Games (men's 73 kg) [5] and the 2019 World Championships in Tokyo (men's 81 kg); Peter Paltchik, winner of the bronze medal in the 2024 Summer Olympics (men's 100 kg).[6]
Smadja is the first Israeli man to win an Olympic medal both as an athlete and as a coach.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Achievements
| Year | Tournament | Place | Weight class | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | World Juniors Championships | 2nd | Lightweight (71 kg) | [7] |
| 1992 | Olympic Games | 3rd | [8] | |
| European Judo Championships | 3rd | [9] | ||
| 1995 | World Judo Championships | 2nd | Half middleweight (78 kg) | [10] |
| European Judo Championships | 7th | [11] |
Personal life
Smadja is married to Liat, and the couple had two sons and a daughter. They live in Ganot Hadar. In 2024, on his birthday his son Omer, a reservist soldier in the Israel Defense Forces, fought and fell in action in the Gaza Strip during the Gaza war.[12] When one month later Israeli judoka Peter Paltchik won a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, he dedicated it to Smadja’s son.[13]
Media Appearances
In 2008, Smadja competed in the 4th season of Israel's Rokdim Im Kokhavim ('Dancing with the Stars'), where he was eliminated 3rd (out of 12 couples). [14]
See also
References
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- ↑ 'May they all come home': Son of Israeli Judoka Oren Smadga killed in Gaza after father's birthday
- ↑ [https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/sports/article-813415 "In times of war, Israel's Olympic glory carries deeper meaning - analysis Peter Paltchik's Olympic bronze was more than a victory; it was a poignant tribute to his coach's fallen son and a symbol of national unity amid conflict,"] The Jerusalem Post.
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External links
Template:Olympic medalists for Israel Template:Israel national judo team Template:Authority control
Template:Israel-judo-bio-stub
Template:Israel-Olympic-medalist-stub
- Pages with script errors
- 1970 births
- Living people
- Israeli male judoka
- Judoka trainers
- Olympic judoka for Israel
- Olympic medalists in judo
- Olympic bronze medalists for Israel
- Judoka at the 1992 Summer Olympics
- Judoka at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics
- Israeli Mizrahi Jews
- Israeli people of Tunisian-Jewish descent
- People from Ofakim