Israel nets 1 gold and 3 silver medals at Paris Olympics

Windsurfer Tom Reuveny took top honors, while Sharon Kantor (windsurfing) Artem Dolgopyat (gymnastics) and Raz Herhsko (Judo) all took second place on the podium.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Israeli Olympians had a historic weekend in Paris as four athletes stood on their respective podiums, with one taking the top honors and hearing the national anthem played for all to hear.

Windsurfer Tom Reuveni won gold exactly two decades after his coach, Gal Fridman, won the same event in Athens, for Israel’s first gold medal ever.

While the 24-year-old was understandably wildly happy at his victory, Reuveny put it in perspective in a post-race interview.

“My brother has been a combat soldier since the war began,” he told Reuters, referring to Israel’s ten-month-long battle with the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip. “It’s much bigger than me [winning] this event and it feels amazing,” Reuveny said.

He said it had been very difficult to train “while everyone else was crying over lost people, dead people,” but he had felt that the nation was behind him, which helped him tremendously.

Sharon Kantor, 21, took silver on the women’s side of the sport.

“I am so happy, I can’t believe it. I felt good. I am thrilled and so happy for the country. What a joy,” she said after her almost flawless race.

Kantor dedicated her victory to her “idol,” Lee Korzits, an Israeli female windsurfer who won four World Championships and is now battling cancer.

The head coach of the Israeli sailing team, who have participants in seven of the ten events on water, also referenced the war.

“We are in a tough year and a tough position … in this situation to represent Israel is a big honor for everyone and we all understand our roles: to give a bit of joy,” Eli Zuckerman told Reuters.

“I’m very happy that we succeeded,” he added. “I think the athletes are also very happy and very proud to do it while our country is in such a complicated situation.”

Artem Dolgopyat, who won Israel’s first ever gold in gymnastics at the Tokyo Games three years ago in the floor exercise, was content with a silver this time after a poor showing in an earlier round almost had him out of the competition altogether.

“I went into a kind of depression” after the qualifying round, he said. “But the team helped me prepare and picked me up. After I made it to the finals, I realized that I could do it with a very good feeling – that I could represent Israel as the best in the world.”

The 27-year-old thus became Israel’s most decorated athlete, as he is also a three-time World Champion in his event. The only other Israeli to win two Olympic medals in individual competitions was Fridman, who also has a bronze medal from the Atlanta Games in 1996.

Raz Hershko took second place in the women’s +78kg category of judo, becoming the third Israeli Olympian to medal in the sport in Paris.

She won her semifinal match in just 15 seconds, and “really wanted the gold,” she said, because “I felt like it was my day,” but she was still “very happy” to earn the silver because she “always” wants “to try to make the entire country happy.”

Last week, Peter Paltchik won the bronze medal in men’s judo 100 kg and Inbal Lanir won silver in the under-78 kg event. Lanir is also the 2023 world champion in her class.

Israel has never before netted six medals in the same Olympiad. The Paris haul brings the country’s total medal count to nineteen.

gold medalgymnasticsIsraeli JudokasIsraeli sportsParis Olympicswindsurfing