Israel eyes Olympic success with 88 athletes in Paris games

Israel will begin its quest at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris this week as the blue-and-white delegation looks to emulate the wonderful results achieved at the 2020 Games in Tokyo, which took place in 2021 due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.

At the previous Games in Japan, Israel took home four medals: two golds and two bronzes. Linoy Ashram in Rhythmic Individual All-Around Gymnastics and Artem Dolgopyat in the Men’s Floor Routine Gymnastics finished in first place in their respective disciplines. Avishag Semberg took third place in Taekwondo -49kg, and the Judo Mixed Team also grabbed a bronze for their efforts.

In this edition of the Games, there will be 88 Israeli athletes competing in 16 different sports, with 54 men and 34 women. However, 18 of the men are from the soccer team. In comparison, at the last Olympics, there were 90 blue-and-white athletes participating in 16 sports, with 24 of the 55 men coming from the baseball team.

The opening ceremonies are slated for Friday, but some sports will get underway on Wednesday as Israel takes to the pitch for the soccer tournament for the first time since the 1976 Montreal Games. Some players to watch are rising star Oscar Gloukh, Omri Gandelman, Liel Abada, and striker Dor Turgeman, as the Under-23 Olympic Team will try to bring home a medal in one of the Games’ premier events.

Artem Dolgopyat will once again compete for gold in the All-Around and remains Israel’s best chance for another first-place finish among all disciplines. At the 2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, he won the gold medal in the floor exercise. Dolgopyat had woken up the morning of the event to the news that Israel had been attacked by Hamas from Gaza and decided not to withdraw from the final despite the mental anguish he was experiencing.

“It was very difficult for me to disconnect. When I got to the arena, I told myself that I have to be in the competition and that’s it.” He put black ribbons on the Israeli flag and on his left arm to mourn the Israeli victims. “A very difficult day for our country. I finished the day as the World champion but my mind and my heart are at home.”

Israeli athletes poised for success

Dolgopyat’s victory was the first ever by an Israeli gymnast at an Artistic Gymnastics World Championship, and he auctioned off his prize to raise funds for the impacted Israeli communities. “What is the status of a world champion worth if my country hurts? The state of Israel comes first for me,” he said.

The first week of the Paris Games will see the Israeli Judokas in action, with several men and women looking to bring home their first individual medal after having been part of the team event at the last Olympics.

Raz Hershko and Inbar Lanir are both favorites to win a medal and have finished on the podium in numerous events over the past three years, whether it has been the World Championship, European Championship, or Grand Slams.

Hershko, who will compete in the +78kg category, won gold at the 2024 European Championship in Zagreb, Croatia, and dedicated the victory to Yonatan Goutin, who was murdered by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7th. Lanir, who will compete in the -78kg category, won bronze in Zagreb. Both competitors will have a bye in the first round of their respective tournaments.

On the men’s side, Peter Paltchik in the -100kg and former world champion Sagi Muki in the -81kg category will try to recapture some of their magic in the City of Lights.

Avishag Semberg is back and better than ever as the now 22-year-old looks to improve on her bronze medal performance in Taekwondo after winning a pair of golds in 2024 events.

In the water, Israel has various medal chances, whether in the pool or in open waters. Anastasia Gorbenko will try to find a way onto the podium, competing in numerous disciplines, including her favorites, the 200m Backstroke and the Mixed 4x100 Meter Medley Relay, which also includes flag bearer and fan favorite, Los Angeles-born Andi Murez. The 20-year-old Gorbenko collected four medals at the recent European Championships in Belgrade and will use that as a springboard into the Games.

In sailing, Sharon Kantor in IQFoil will be a threat to win a medal for the blue-and-white after winning gold at the World Championships held in Lanzarote, Spain. The 21-year-old is being coached by former Israeli medalist Shachar Tzuberi and will look to find a way onto the podium at the Olympics.

While Ashram has retired and won’t be competing in Rhythmic Gymnastics in Paris, the gold medalist left a legacy that now includes a top-ranked team of five with an excellent chance of taking home first place in the Women’s team All-Around Group event. Ofir Shaham, Romi Paritzki, Shani Bakanov, Adar Freidmann, and Diana Svertsov will look to make Israel proud.

Fencer Yuval Freilich, who is Orthodox and comes from the Neve Daniel neighborhood in Gush Etzion, will be competing in his first Games in the Men’s Epee. The 29-year-old, who ranks 8th in the world in Epee, won a gold medal in January 2024 at a Grand Prix event in Doha, Qatar, an event with 276 fencers. The Arab country does not have diplomatic ties with Israel, but Freilich was able to wear a fencing uniform with an Israeli flag, and Hatikva, Israel’s National Anthem, was played during the podium ceremony.

Israel will have a number of participants in track and field, specifically in the marathon event, with Lonah Chemtai Salpeter looking to score her first Olympic medal on the women’s side of the competition, while Maru Teferi will try to do the same in the men’s. In addition, 20-year-old rising star Blessing Afrifah will attempt to turn heads in the 200-meter event.