This study examined how pre-service physical education teachers reconstructed their professional identity during a war-related crisis and emergency remote education. A reflexive thematic analysis approach was used to analyze data collected from the responses of 31 pre-service physical education teachers to an open-ended questionnaire administered through an online link. The crisis began approximately at the beginning of the academic semester, and university education, including practical physical education courses, continued entirely online until the end of the semester. The analysis generated three overarching themes: reconstructing the meaning of being a physical education teacher, developing adaptive professional competence, and sustaining professional identity through relationships and professional commitment. The findings showed that the war-related crisis challenged participants’ previous understandings of what it meant to be a good physical education teacher and prompted them to reconsider the meaning of professional competence. In this process, competence was understood not as a fixed set of skills but as an emerging capacity shaped by the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. However, this process was not uniform across participants. While some described discovering new capacities in creativity, problem solving, and adaptation, others expressed concerns about declining practical skills and feeling inadequately prepared for real teaching situations. Relationships with instructors, peers, and family members also played an important role in maintaining and sustaining professional identity. Overall, the findings suggest that crisis can disrupt the development of professional identity and create different pathways through which pre-service physical education teachers redefine their professional roles and understandings of professional competence.