Israeli judo
Soccer is the most lucrative sport in Israel, but judo has won the country its most international laurels. Israel has over 20 notable achievements in judo, a remarkable tally for several reasons: the relative lack of funding for sports in Israel, its neighbours’ failure to make a mark internationally in any sport, the perception that Jews are not a martial race, and the fact that judo became a nationwide craze only from the 1990s.
Also striking is the high degree of gender parity.
Israeli judo took its first baby steps to prominence in 1986, when Moshe Ponte won a silver medal at the Belgian Open. Six years later, Yael Arad became the first Israeli Olympic medallist by winning a silver in Barcelona while Oren Smadja brought home a bronze. Arad also won a world silver and a European gold the following year. By 1995, when Smadja picked up a world silver, judo had become a national craze.
Gil Ofer won the British Open in 1998 and two world cup titles two years later. Udi Wax, meanwhile, won a world under-20 bronze (1998) and a competition in Belarus (2000).
The 21st century brought more judo honours to the nation. Ariel Ze'evi won four European championships in 12 years — 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2012. Apart from first places at tournaments in Prague (2008) and Moscow (2011), his feats included an Olympic bronze (2004) and four European bronzes.
In 2003, Israeli resident Daniela Krukower became the first judo world champion from Argentina, the land of her birth, and followed that up with numerous Pan American honours. Yoel Razvozov won European championship silvers in 2004 and 2005, and Gal Yekutiel picked up a European bronze in 2007.
Yarden Gerbi was the premier Israeli female judoka since Yael Arad, earning her country’s first world title in the sport in 2013. Before retiring, she also won a world championship silver in 2014 and an Olympic bronze in 2016.
Or Sasson won two Olympic bronzes (individual in 2016 and mixed team five years later) in addition to two European silvers (2015 and 2016) and five consecutive IJF Grand Prix golds (2016-20).
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