The Olympic delegation at the 2016 Games is Israel’s largest one since the country’s first Olympic Games in 1952. The 47 qualifiers will compete in 17 sport categories, including Israel’s first Olympic competitors in golf, triathlon and mountain biking.
Here are just a few of the athletes to look out for:
Neta Rivkin, Rhythmic Gymnastics
Israeli gymast Neta Rivkin is one of Israel’s best hopes to medal. She will hold Israel’s flag aloft at the opening ceremony. Rivkin, finished seventh in her category at the 2012 London Games.
The rhythmic gymnastics team is also expected to do well. They won a gold in European championship in June. Watch their performance below:
Israel wins gold at European Rhythmic Gymnastics ChampionshipsIsrael won gold at European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships hosted in Israel in the Clubs and Hoops category. Watch their amazing winning performance.
The Israeli team is now expected to do well at the Olympics in Rio.
Well done Israel!
Posted by Christians United for Israel – UK on Monday, June 27, 2016
Laetitia Beck, Golf
Israeli Olympic golfer Laetitia Beck – granddaughter of Holoca…MUST WATCH: Laetitia Beck, part of Team Israel at the Rio Olympics, is the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor. Watch Laetitia tell her moving story of growing up with a love for Israel and becoming the first Israeli woman to go pro in golf. Like the Olympic torch, dreams are passed from generation to generation, and here we can watch Laetitia as she turns her dreams into reality.
“…It has always been a dream of mine to represent Israel at the highest level…”
Credit: IPGA
#Israel #Rio #Olympics #LaetitiaBeck #loveIsrael #CUFI
Posted by Christians United for Israel – UK on Friday, August 5, 2016
Laetitia Beck is the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, and also the first Israeli woman to go pro in golf. Laetitia says “…It has always been a dream of mine to represent Israel at the highest level…”
Watch Laetitia tell her moving story of growing up with a love for Israel and becoming the first Israeli woman to go pro in golf.
Shahar Zubari, Windsurfing
Windsurfer Shahar Zubari won Israel’s last medal when he took a bronze in Beijing in 2008. Zubari is considered to have a good chance of placing in Rio.
Yarden Gerbi, Judo
Yarden Gerbi is an Israeli judoka world champion. She won the gold medal at the 2013 World Judo Championships in the category -63 kg
Ilana Kratysh, Wrestling
Kratysh became the first Israeli woman to qualify to wrestle in the Olympics when she won the World Qualification Tournament in Mongolia in April. The 26-year-old is a four-time silver medalist in the European championships and will compete at 69 kilograms.
Alex Shatilov, Gymnastics
Israeli artistic gymnast Alex Shatilov has won several medals at world and European championships in floor exercise and competed in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.
Lonah Chemtai, Marathon
Kenyan-born marathoner Lonah came to Israel eight years ago to work for a Kenyan diplomat and met her husband Salpeter through running. The two later married in Kenya, and now have a one-year-old son named Roy. She won the Tel Aviv marathon with a time of two hours, 40 minutes and 16 seconds, almost five minutes under the qualifying time for the games.
Also look out for the following athletes:
Athletics: Tesama Moogas, Maor Tiyouri (marathon), Donald Sanford (400-meter dash), Dmitry Kroytor (high jump), Hanna Knyazyeva-Minenko (triple jump), Lonah Chemtai Korlima, Ageze Guadie, Marhu Teferi
Badminton: Misha Zilberman (men’s singles)
Cycling: Shani Bloch Davidov (women’s road race), Shlomi Haimy (men’s cross country)
Golf: Laetitia Beck
Gymnastics: Alexander Shatilov (artistic), Neta Rivkin (rhythmic individual), Alona Koshevatskiy, Ekaterina Levina, Karina Lykhvar, Ida Mayrin, Yuval Filo (rhythmic team)
Judo: Golan Pollack, Sagi Muki, Ori Sasson, Shira Rishony, Gili Cohen, Yarden Gerbi, Linda Bolder
Sailing/Windsurfing: Shahar Zubari, Maayan Davidovich, Gil Cohen, Nina Amir, Dan Froyliche, Eyal Levin
Shooting: Sergey Richter
Swimming: Ziv Kalontorov (50m freestyle), Gal Nevo (200m individual medley, Yakov-Yan Toumarkin (backstroke, individual medley), Amit Ivry(100m breaststroke), Andrea Murez (50m and 100m freestyle), Zohar Shikler (50m freestyle), Anastasia Gloushkov and Yevgeniya Tetelbaum (synchronized), Keren Siebner (100m freestyle)
Taekwondo: Ron Atias
Tennis: Dudi Sela (men’s singles)
Triathlon: Ron Darmon
Weightlifting: Igor Olshanetskyi
Wrestling: Ilana Kratysh