"It was very emotional. The final match was very hard, against the current number one in Asia, but I managed to win and to qualify for the Olympics,” said Ismail to The National News. 

The Olympic Games had been Ismail’s dream since he started taekwondo, but now he is already dreaming about Olympic gold.

"It's a dream. Every athlete has a goal in his life, and my goal is to reach the Olympics and get a medal," he said. "I was very happy, very emotional, reaching the Olympics, but I wasn't fully happy, because I have only one target: win the gold medal in Paris.

"Nothing is impossible, I’ve been working very hard, and I hope I can get a gold medal. And you see me on the podium."

Ismail's parents moved to the UAE from Palestine in 2003. He was born in UAE and started to practise Taekwondo at the age of 10, attending classes at the Sharjah Sports Club. He and his family live in the UAE, but on an international level he represents his historical homeland.

"Representing Palestine in this big event is just a huge pride for me. I'm very proud to represent Palestine, specifically at this moment," Ismail said.

He has a message to the world that Palestinian athletes have the courage, the power to reach higher levels, even though there are some problems happening there. 

“We are trying, and we will like that the people hear us, hear our message.

"It will be very emotional when we see the people around us very happy to see Palestine," he said.

Ismail hopes that he Palestinian athletes will have a lot of fans in Paris.

“I'm filled with determination, and every training session, every drop of sweat, every moment and hard work has led me to this point. I promise to give my all and do whatever it takes to raise my country's flag at the top of the podium,” concluded the athlete.