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Avishag Semberg

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01In brief

Avishag Semberg is an Israeli taekwondo athlete who won bronze in the women’s under-49-kilogram event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, held in 2021. At 19, she became Israel’s youngest Olympic medalist, and her bronze was the country’s first Olympic medal in taekwondo and its 10th Olympic medal overall. She later competed at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she was eliminated in the round of 16.

02Early Life

Semberg was born and raised in Gedera, Israel, and began taekwondo as an after-school activity in first grade.[5] As a child, she asked to spar with boys and older athletes, and later trained at the Sharabi Martial Arts club before joining Israel’s national team under coach Yehiam Sharabi.[5]

Her early competitive career included bronze at the World Championships in Canada at age 15, bronze at the European Championships in Larnaca, and bronze at the 2019 European Under-21 Championships in Sweden.[5] She carried Israel’s flag at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, where she finished fifth.[5]

03Career and Public Life

Semberg won the Israeli under-53-kilogram championship and the European Championships in the under-49-kilogram category in 2020; the European competition took place in April 2021.[6][5] She also contracted COVID-19 that year and spent several weeks recovering at home.[6] She was not initially expected to compete at the Olympics planned for 2020, but the postponement gave her more time to gain experience, and she qualified for Tokyo in May 2021 through the Olympic qualifying tournament in Bulgaria.[5]

At Tokyo, Semberg opened with a 22–2 victory over Puerto Rico’s Victoria Stambaugh, then lost to Thailand’s Panipak Wongpattanakit in the round of 16.[7] In the consolation bracket, she beat Vietnam’s Truong Thi Kim Tuyen 22–1 to reach the bronze-medal bout.[7] Against Turkey’s Rukiye Yıldırım, Semberg won 27–22 after falling behind in the third round and retaking the lead in the final seconds.[7][3] The medal, won on July 24, was Israel’s first Olympic taekwondo medal and its first medal of the Tokyo Games.[5][6] Afterward, Semberg said she had told herself, “I want a medal more than she does,” and called winning an Olympic medal at 19 “a dream come true.”[3]

Semberg returned to a welcome at Ben Gurion Airport, followed by an event in Gedera attended by about 300 residents.[8] The local council presented her with an honorary award and a grant of NIS 40,000.[8] Addressing young people who train or were considering taking up sport, she recalled wondering whether a girl from Gedera could reach the top and said that “anything is possible.”[8]

In 2022, Semberg won silver at the European Championships and competed in the under-49-kilogram category.[9] She finished fifth at the 2022 World Championships and won silver at the 2023 European Championships in England.[10] Her subsequent results also included gold at a World Cup in France, silver at the President’s Cup in Estonia, gold at a World Cup in Luxembourg, and an Israeli championship in early July before the Paris Games.[10]

Semberg qualified for Paris 2024 by reaching the final of the continental qualifying tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria, in March.[11] Before those Games, she said she had more experience than she had brought to Tokyo and felt physically stronger and more technically capable; her coach, Yehiam Sharabi, also described improvements in her speed, strength, and aggression.[10]

At Paris, Semberg lost 2–1 to Saudi Arabia’s Dunya Ali Abutaleb in the under-49-kilogram round of 16.[4] Semberg won the first round 6–2, lost the second 5–4, and was defeated 10–0 in the third.[4] Because Abutaleb did not reach the final, Semberg had no route to the repechage and left the Games without a medal.[12] Reflecting on the match, Semberg said that after taking a 1–0 lead she focused too much on finishing the contest rather than enjoying it, and felt that her legs stopped functioning; she described the defeat as especially difficult because she had wanted to win for others as well as herself.[12]

04Legacy

Semberg’s Tokyo bronze marked Israel’s first Olympic medal in taekwondo and its 10th Olympic medal overall.[3] At 19, she became Israel’s youngest Olympic medalist.[2] Her comeback against Yıldırım made the medal a landmark result in her own career as well as a milestone for Israeli taekwondo.[3]

Her reception in Gedera connected the Olympic achievement with her hometown: at the local event, she spoke about having once questioned whether someone from Gedera could reach the top and encouraged young people to dream ambitiously.[8]

05Controversies

Two reported episodes involved opponents from Egypt and Iran. After Semberg defeated Egypt’s Sami al-Husseini in a first-round match at the 2022 Roma World Taekwondo Grand Prix, Israel Hayom reported that he left the mat without bowing or shaking her hand, gestures the report described as customary after a match.[9] In 2023, Iranian athlete Saeeda Nasiri did not appear for a scheduled second-round match against Semberg at a Grand Slam event in China; Israel Hayom characterized the absence as a refusal to face an Israeli opponent.[13] The latter description is the outlet’s characterization of the nonappearance.

Sources

  1. 1Jewish Virtual Library, Jews in Sports: Israel at the 2020 Olympics, accessed on October 23, 2026.
  2. 2The Jerusalem Post, More than 14 Jewish athletes to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics, accessed on October 23, 2026.
  3. 3Ynet, Avishag Semberg after the victory: “I said, ‘I want a medal more than she does’”, accessed on October 23, 2026.
  4. 4The Jerusalem Post, Amit Elor wins gold at Paris Olympics, honors Israeli roots, accessed on October 23, 2026.
  5. 5Ynet, The girl from Gedera who became an Olympic medalist: The amazing story of Avishag Semberg, accessed on October 23, 2026.
  6. 6The Times of Israel, accessed on October 23, 2026.
  7. 7The Times of Israel, accessed on October 23, 2026.
  8. 8The Times of Israel, accessed on October 23, 2026.
  9. 9Israel Hayom, Israeli taekwondo athlete snubbed by Egyptian competitor, accessed on October 23, 2026.
  10. 10Sport5, High expectations: Avishag Semberg is no longer an underdog, accessed on October 23, 2026.
  11. 11Sport5, Avishag Semberg won a ticket to Paris 2024, accessed on October 23, 2026.
  12. 12Ynet, Avishag Semberg: “I cried for four hours, but I understand that it’s just the Olympics—the world hasn’t ended”, accessed on October 23, 2026.
  13. 13Israel Hayom, Why did Iranian taekwondoin miss match against Israeli opponent?, accessed on October 23, 2026.

IsraelPedia Question & Answers

  • Who is Avishag Semberg?

    Avishag Semberg is an Israeli taekwondo athlete who won bronze in the women’s under-49-kilogram event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, held in 2021. At 19, she became Israel’s youngest Olympic medalist, and her bronze was the country’s first Olympic medal in taekwondo and its 10th Olympic medal overall. She later competed at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she was eliminated in the round of 16.

  • How did Avishag Semberg win bronze at the Tokyo Olympics?

    Avishag Semberg won the bronze-medal bout at Tokyo 2020 by defeating Turkey’s Rukiye Yıldırım 27–22 on July 24, 2021. After losing to Thailand’s Panipak Wongpattanakit in the round of 16, Semberg beat Vietnam’s Truong Thi Kim Tuyen 22–1 in the consolation bracket to reach the medal bout. She fell behind in the third round against Yıldırım but retook the lead in the final seconds.

  • Where did Avishag Semberg grow up, and how did she start taekwondo?

    Avishag Semberg was born and raised in Gedera, Israel, and began taekwondo as an after-school activity in first grade. As a child, she asked to spar with boys and older athletes. She later trained at the Sharabi Martial Arts club before joining Israel’s national team under coach Yehiam Sharabi.

  • What were Avishag Semberg’s results before the Tokyo Olympics?

    Before the Tokyo Olympics, Avishag Semberg won bronze at the World Championships in Canada at age 15, bronze at the European Championships in Larnaca, and bronze at the 2019 European Under-21 Championships in Sweden. She carried Israel’s flag at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, where she finished fifth. In 2020, she won the Israeli under-53-kilogram championship and the European Championships in the under-49-kilogram category; the European competition took place in April 2021.

  • What happened to Avishag Semberg at the Paris 2024 Olympics?

    Avishag Semberg was eliminated in the under-49-kilogram round of 16 at Paris 2024, losing 2–1 to Saudi Arabia’s Dunya Ali Abutaleb. Semberg won the first round 6–2, lost the second 5–4, and was defeated 10–0 in the third. Because Abutaleb did not reach the final, Semberg had no route to the repechage and left the Games without a medal.

  • What did Avishag Semberg achieve after the Tokyo Olympics?

    After the Tokyo Olympics, Avishag Semberg won silver at the 2022 European Championships, finished fifth at the 2022 World Championships, and won silver at the 2023 European Championships in England. Other results included gold at a World Cup in France, silver at the President’s Cup in Estonia, gold at a World Cup in Luxembourg, and an Israeli championship in early July before the Paris Games.

  • What controversies involved Avishag Semberg and other taekwondo athletes?

    Two reported episodes involved opponents from Egypt and Iran. Israel Hayom reported that after Avishag Semberg defeated Egypt’s Sami al-Husseini at the 2022 Roma World Taekwondo Grand Prix, he left the mat without bowing or shaking her hand, gestures the report described as customary after a match. In 2023, Iranian athlete Saeeda Nasiri did not appear for a scheduled second-round match against Semberg at a Grand Slam event in China; Israel Hayom characterized the absence as a refusal to face an Israeli opponent.