For every day for the past four years Adnan Millad (21) has been thinking about only one thing: how to get better at training and the next taekwondo fight.
It's not a trivial matter when it comes to a fighter training without a dominant, right-handed man who has been amputated.
Adnan is the eldest child of the Milad family.
Until April 28, 2018, they were an ordinary family from Ramla, except that on one day off from school he came to help his father with his work.
He did not imagine that this day would end in an unfortunate accident that would turn his world upside down.
His father, an agricultural contractor by profession, used Adnan to work at Kibbutz Hefetz Haim, where in the middle of the area was an electric cable in an open field, exactly at the height of the young boy's chest.
He tried to lift it so he could pass, but was electrocuted and lost consciousness.
At Kaplan Hospital he was put to sleep and resuscitated, and when he awoke he found that he would have to live with one hand.
"I remember when I woke up the doctors told me they were sorry, and that they did everything they could to save my hand," Adnan recalled in a special interview with Israel Today. Faster. "
Indeed, after three weeks he was out of danger, moved to Tel Hashomer, where he was hospitalized for a whole year.
During this time he wandered from ward to ward, underwent a series of surgeries to treat severe burns and did everything in his power to adapt to the new condition.
Adnan Millad.
An unfortunate accident that turned his world upside down, Photo: Oren Aharoni
"I had a very hard time getting by on a daily basis. I was right-handed, and slowly I had to get used to using my left hand," says Millad. ".
What helped you during this difficult time?
"My friends. It was also at the beginning of the matriculation period, so I had to learn everything in the hospital and complete materials. My whole town supported me, but I got the biggest help from my mom, she was by my side at every moment."
Were there moments of despair?
"Sure, I'm human, but I said to myself, 'How much can you give up? You have to fight to the end.'
What was the biggest difficulty?
"I had moments that really hurt me, all the time, all over my body. I would live on painkillers, really psychic substances, to ease the pain."
"I have two years, and there is a lot of work"
On one of the days of hospitalization, Milad received a surprising visit from Lior Yasur, Assaf's father, who himself had a similar accident just before the bar mitzvah and both hands were amputated.
Yasur will later become the world champion in taekwondo.
Adnan has been exposed to a new sport for him.
After several meetings with coaches, he decided to start a new path as a competitive athlete.
He currently trains with the Israeli team and at the Sharabi Martial Arts Club in the city of Ramla.
Yasur and Adnan Milad.
"I knew we had to fight to the end,"
"A month after I was released from the hospital I had already arrived for training. I was told I was tall and had potential," says Millad. "I got into a fight with a good athlete, when I had no background. Return".
For a year and a half, Milad continued to sit at home, frustrated by that kick, and only seven months ago, while Avishag Samberg had won the Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo, he changed his mind: "I said to myself, 'What am I crying about? One kick broke me?'"
He contacted the coaches again, but he had a condition: to train alone until he gained experience.
"I did not want to be again with the most professionals there are. They agreed to my terms, and I went back to training."
Adnan Milad and Lior Yasur.
Surprising visit,
Proof that you are capable.
"I believe in myself, otherwise I would not be here. As soon as I put something in my head, I go for it to the end. I postponed my studies, I stopped everything just to deal with taekwondo."
How did taekwondo help you?
"It fills me. I surrendered because it's something I know I want to achieve. I have a goal. Taekwondo is also part of my rehabilitation, it fills me with confidence. Today I can do anything, completely independently. I know this time, when I go to the competition and lose the first battle, "I will correct the mistakes and next time I will win. I have two years, and there is a lot of work, but the taekwondo industry is a stamp for me."
How is the training with Assaf?
"Assaf Yasur and I are really good friends, he is a role model for me, really inspiring. I look at him and say to myself 'he is a huge writer, he is a world champion in taekwondo'. I strive to be better than him, I do not mind him hearing that ".
Milad, who competes in the weight category up to 63 kg, has already participated in the last Israeli championship and even won the first competition, but his ultimate goal is to represent Israel in the Paralympic Games.
"I will not feel I have won until I win a gold medal in Paris 2024. I do everything I can and want to get as far as possible. It is realistic for me. If I am ready - I will go with all my might. If not, there are the next games in Los Angeles."
Were we wrong?
Fixed!
If you found an error in the article, we'll be happy for you to share it with us