Tareg Hamedi’s story is one every Saudi should know. From a young boy with no connection to karate to an Olympic silver medalist, Tareg’s journey is one of discipline, resilience, and an unwavering desire to succeed. He became only the second Saudi athlete to win an Olympic silver medal, writing his name into the Kingdom’s sporting history.
His final match at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics was etched into Saudi and Olympic history for more reasons than one. Yet that moment did not define the end of his journey. Today, Tareg Hamedi continues to push his limits in a new sport, becoming an example of the ambition, resilience, and courage to start again that is shaping a new generation of Saudi athletes.
The Beginnings
Born on July 26, 1998, in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, Tareg Hamedi grew up loving football, spending most of his time playing in the streets of his hometown. He was also a very quick-tempered child with a lot of energy, which led his parents to enroll him in a karate class. They believed that channeling his energy into sport could help him control his temper, and they would eventually be proven right.
His temper wasn’t the only challenge Tareg faced growing up. He also had hereditary asthma, which at times became serious enough to require hospital treatment. Sport played an important role in helping him manage his asthma, while karate taught him how to control his temper.
More Than a Sport
Originally a sport he had little interest in, karate quickly became much more to Tareg Hamedi. He was naturally athletic and energetic, but karate gave him something more: self-discipline, composure, and respect. Gradually, it became a central part of his life.
Tareg's talent began to stand out in his early teens. He won his first medal in middle school and soon added several more, gradually establishing himself in competitive karate. One of his biggest early achievements came at the 8th World Cadet & Junior Karate Championships in Spain, where he won bronze. Yet even then, Tareg was simply happy to have won a medal. He had not yet imagined that karate could become his career.
Karate Becomes a Career
Years later, Tareg began to see karate differently. What started as a way to channel his childhood energy was becoming a potential career, and he had a clear objective: world gold. Already a recognized junior champion, he was yet to win a senior medal, but his ambitions were growing.
His breakthrough came in 2016 when he won the Karate1 Premier League in Okinawa and was named Most Promising Player by the World Karate Federation. For Tareg, the recognition provided an important confidence boost. He was competing against older, more experienced athletes and winning. Karate was no longer simply something he had excelled at as a child; it had become his future.
Stepping Onto the World Stage
Tareg Hamedi’s first senior Asian Championships gold came in Kazakhstan in 2017, where he won the +84 kg category at just 19 years old. It was a victory that announced his arrival on the senior international stage. His opponent in the final, Sajjad Ganjzadeh, would later become a significant figure in Tareg’s story. Already an established star in karate, Ganjzadeh made Tareg’s victory at just 19 years old even more significant.
Around the same time he started competing at a senior level, Tareg began studying marketing. Although he enjoyed the field, the demands of his sporting career left little time to pursue it professionally. He also managed to combine his career and studies by representing his university in karate tournaments and winning several accolades along the way.
Alongside representing Saudi Arabia internationally, Tareg also competed at club level with Alhilal, where he continued adding titles and gaining valuable experience. His success with both club and country helped establish him as one of the Kingdom’s leading karate athletes before his Olympic breakthrough.
Olympic History
In the years leading up to Tokyo 2020, Tareg Hamedi continued to win several championships, becoming a household name in the karate world. He eventually secured his place at the Games, making history as the first Saudi karateka to qualify for the Olympics. His qualification carried even greater significance as karate was making its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020.
On August 7, 2021, Tareg’s life changed forever. After overcoming several world-class karatekas on his way to the final, he once again found himself facing Sajjad Ganjzadeh, the same man he had beaten four years earlier. There was something almost poetic about it. The opponent Tareg defeated to win his first senior Asian title was now the man standing between him and Saudi Arabia’s first Olympic gold medal.
One Kick
Tareg entered the final with confidence. Leading Ganjzadeh 4-1, he was only minutes away from becoming Saudi Arabia's first Olympic gold medalist. Then came one kick. A powerful high kick from Tareg knocked his opponent down. As Ganjzadeh received medical treatment, Tareg waited for the officials' decision. The ruling was devastating. Despite leading 4-1, he was disqualified after officials ruled the kick an unchecked attack, awarding Ganjzadeh the gold medal. The extraordinary ending immediately sparked debate and became one of the most talked-about moments of karate.
The Backing of an Entire Nation
The outcome left Tareg Hamedi devastated. He believed Saudi Arabia’s first Olympic gold medal had been minutes away from becoming a reality. To him, it wasn’t just about winning silver or gold. It was about making history for his country and creating a first in Saudi Olympic history. The silver was nevertheless historic, becoming the fourth Olympic medal for the Kingdom.
Even before returning home, a distraught Tareg received a call from HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shortly after the final. Tareg later recalled that the conversation went beyond congratulations. He felt he was being spoken to like a proud father or brother who shared his disappointment.
The reception he received back home reinforced this message. Tareg returned as a national hero. Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Alfaisal announced that Tareg would receive SAR 5 million, the reward for the gold-level achievement, in recognition of his performance. Shortly after, Tareg met HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who congratulated him and praised him for his performance. Meeting him meant a lot to Tareg. He recalls the Crown Prince telling him the medal on his chest was seen as gold.
Beyond the Olympic Medal
After winning his historic silver medal, Tareg Hamedi continued competing internationally, adding more medals to his career. He also received recognition from organizations such as the Arab Karate Federation and the Royal Saudi Air Force. Hamedi once said:
“Achieving something big is difficult, but continuing to achieve after it is even harder.”
His career after Tokyo reflected that mentality. Rather than allowing an Olympic silver medal to become the conclusion of his story, he continued competing internationally with the same hunger that had taken him to the podium. That consistency required sacrifices away from competition. Managing sleep and nutrition, enduring intense training, prioritizing recovery, and sometimes withdrawing socially before major tournaments became part of the discipline required to remain an elite athlete.
Starting From Zero
Around 2024, Tareg made a decision few elite athletes would be willing to make. After 15 years of training and competing in karate, he chose to leave the sport he had mastered and start from zero in taekwondo at 26 years old. Interestingly, the idea was not originally his. He recalls Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal first suggesting the move during a flight back to Saudi Arabia. The idea was raised again after they returned, but the decision was far from immediate. Tareg Hamedi says it took more than a year before the transition was made.
The driving force behind the switch was his Olympic dream. Karate was not an official Olympic sport. Its appearance at Tokyo 2020 had been a one-off opportunity after the host nation selected it as an additional sport, leaving Tareg without another Olympic opportunity through karate. Taekwondo offered Tareg another path toward the gold medal he had come so close to winning in Tokyo. The transition was far from easy. The two sports demanded different techniques and adjustments, but Tareg soon began competing professionally and joined the Saudi senior taekwondo national team.
A Second Olympic Chance
Today, Tareg Hamedi has begun making a name for himself in taekwondo, winning a gold medal in the 2026 GCC Games and a bronze medal in the 2026 China Open International Taekwondo Championships. Winning international medals only two years after beginning an entirely new combat sport makes his progress even more remarkable.
For most athletes, reaching an Olympic final would be the defining chapter of a career. For Tareg, it became the reason to begin another one. Fifteen years of karate took him to the Olympic podium; now, he is starting again in a new sport with one destination in mind: Los Angeles 2028.
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