Omar Salim: Inspired by his father, admired by Zlatan Ibrahimović

What are the odds of raising four children who all grow up to become talented taekwondo athletes?

Just ask Gergely Salim, who won gold when taekwondo was a demonstration sport at the Olympic Games Barcelona 1992, before coaching his uncle Josef Salim at Sydney 2000.

And what are the odds of matching your father’s sporting history and training with your siblings and your parents in the same dojang?

Enter Omar Salim.

The Hungarian world champion is coached by his Olympic champion dad - and loving it.

“I feel I have a lot of strengths in the sport of taekwondo. One of them is because I started from such a young age and, with a professional like my father as my instructor, I feel like my game is very well-rounded,” says Omar who is now preparing for his second Olympic appearance at Paris 2024, under the guidance of Gergely.

At 20-years-old, the Los Angeles-based athlete has already achieved far more than any other Hungarian male in taekwondo.

“Everything I do is really for my own personal achievements and just to be able to kind of reflect and say, ‘well, you also just created history for your country…’but it's not something I try to think about.”

Staying grounded was one of his biggest lessons he learnt from football great Zlatan Ibrahimović, who he used to train with at his father’s taekwondo club while the Swedish superstar was playing for LA Galaxy.

“When I got to know him as a person it became really cool,” said Omar of the Swede.

Omar Salim taekwondo beginnings

How did it all begin? 

In 1991, Gergely, a 19-year-old Tanzanian native who represented Denmark, clinched the world title in the fin-weight category, a year before competing at the Barcelona Olympics.

Nearly two decades later, Omar made his father proud by winning the European title, aged 18, before securing gold at the 2022 World Championships.

“It was a very special moment, and I didn't even know that we were the same age at the time,” he told Olympics.com from his home in California.

“I was 19 when I won it [world championships] as well. He was 50kg and mine was 54kg, but the weight division-fin-was the same. And that was just like the icing on the cake. It just made it much cooler.”

The first chapters of Omar’s remarkable success were based around family.

Having grown up as the second of four siblings, taekwondo was always their family activity.

His mother, Sabrina, is a taekwondo instructor, older brother, Sharif, a 2018 Youth Olympian, while his two younger sisters Kamilah and Nala’s are rising through the junior ranks.

"As soon as I could get myself on the mat, I was just a little baby… my father tells me I was maybe three-years-old when I started, and he created a class for me and my brother because we wanted to do it so bad, and he was teaching older kids.”

But taekwondo was never imposed.

“Sometimes there's a lot of taekwondo talk [in the family],” he admitted.

“We kind of bounce off of ideas with each other. But my father always left it very open to me and my siblings, like 'do whatever you want to do’. We've had a lot of different options as well. Like when we were young, we used to ride motocross.”

Omar Salim: Growing up in the dojang

That early start cemented Omar's passion for the sport.

In fact, he shudders at the thought of what might have happened had his father and uncle picked a different career path.

“When my father was in Denmark, him and my uncle were trying to figure out what sport they can start. They went to sign up for a judo class and because they were too young at the time, they couldn’t join,” he said.

“So they said, OK, let's find something else. So, taekwondo was next. And it's like, 'what if they hadn't started then?' Then we wouldn't have everything that we have now.”

The senior Salims made the right decision. Between them, they have competed in three Olympics, won four world championship medals, and six European golds.

Omar's family played a huge role in Omar’s development having established a taekwondo centre in Los Angeles, a base that continues to churn out talent.

But how is it trying to write his own success story, while being coached by his father?

“It's definitely a unique relationship. He taught me everything I know,” explained Omar, adding that their bond remains as strong as ever.

“I grew up with this, I don't know it differently, and I feel it works pretty well for me because he understands me so well, and he knows, without even me asking me any questions. He can say, ‘OK, why do you feel bad now? I can tell something's not right.’ It’s really good to have him because he's so understanding of me, not only as an athlete, but as a person.”

The Zlatan Ibrahimović effect on Omar Salim

Interestingly, it’s through his father that Omar met one of his most prominent fans: Ibrahimović.

The football star, whose background in martial arts was flaunted as one of the reasons for his exceptional athleticism, trained with Gergely during his two seasons with the LA Galaxy.

Sharing the tatami at Salim taekwondo centre with the now retired Swede, a honorary taekwondo black belt holder, had a valuable effect on his athletic career.

“If I had to take something from him, it's his work ethic and he’s confident attitude about the way he carries himself,” Omar said in the interview with Olympics.com.

"Some may say that he's arrogant, but it's just something that I feel is required from athletes, especially in a sport like taekwondo.

“If you're going to be fighting people, then you need that confidence in yourself and to portray it externally, because if you have self-doubts within, then it really can affect your performances.”

Those lessons helped Salim clinch the the 2022 world title, and qualify for the Paris Olympics.

With Ibrahimović still in his corner, Omar, a passionate surfer too, is on track to be a top talent for Hungary for years to come.

Another Olympic chapter for Omar Salim

Paris 2024 could be his time. A historic chance.

His father was 20 at Barcelona 1992, and Omar will just be a year older when he competes at the Grand Palais in the French capital.

“Something that I've known growing up the whole time I was like, 'yeah, my dad's a world champion, an Olympic champion',” he said.

“It's always been one of my biggest dreams to be an Olympic champion. Because where we train in our taekwondo studio, we have a display case with all the big medals… and my father's Olympic medal, it’s always been sitting in there. And I look at it all the time.”

"I want to go out there and do my best, go for the biggest result, but no pressure on my shoulders, I know what I'm capable of.

“I have a lot of different techniques that I can go to if I need. I have very good strength and stamina...if I need to go throughout the match, then I'll be able to.”

Still, the men’s 58kg class contender is keeping a cool head as he focusses on the Games, where he hopes to watch some of the long distance races, especially the men’s marathon where he will be rooting for Eliud Kipchoge.

“Going into events, I try not to put too much expectations on myself,” he said.

“Obviously, I want to go out there and do my best…winning every match that I step into.”

Hungary has never won a medal in taekwondo at the Olympics, and Omar is up for that challenge.

“I just want to reflect and say, ‘well, you also just created history for your country’. It just makes it that much better.”