As Paris 2024 is set to open, here's a look back at Israel's biggest Olympic moments
As we limber up for the next Olympic Games in Paris next month, let’s bask in the glory of some of Israel’s momentous athletic achievements, in expectation of good things to come.
Israel’s greatest star at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics was Linoy Ashram (now retired at age 25) from Rishon Letzion near Tel Aviv.
Ashram, then 21 years old, was the first Israeli woman to win a gold medal and holds the title of Olympic All-Around Champion. She was the first Israeli athlete to win a medal in the individual all-around competition as a rhythmic gymnast. However, Ashram was no stranger to Olympic-level success, already having earned two silver and two bronze medals.
Ashram began her training at the young age of 7. On the Olympics YouTube channel, she explained how she got started.
"I was a very hyperactive child. I couldn't sit still. I had to move and do sports. My mum saw that and decided to send me to an after-school sports club, a little class that taught rhythmic gymnastics. I really loved that type of sport, competing and wearing the outfits."
In 2017, Ashram enlisted in the IDF as a secretary. She shared her thoughts on the experience with the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG): "At 08:00 I go to the army until 11:00. I have to go every day except when I have a competition, then I get a holiday from the army. I really love it and it is very important for Israelis to donate in some way to our country, even if it is through administration and even if it's only for a few hours."
On her website, she wrote: "Your perseverance, not your talent, will determine your success." And she should know! Linoy Ashram has earned her place in Israel’s Hall of Fame, having been chosen as the flag bearer for Israel at the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games and named "Female Athlete of the Year" by the Israeli Olympic Committee for three consecutive years from 2017 to 2019.
Artem Dolgopyat is another Israeli gymnast who won a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics for "Men's Floor Gymnastics." Despite being plagued with many health struggles and injuries, his determination to succeed has led to several medals.
Dolgopyat won a silver medal in the competition after suffering a torn ligament in the 2023 European Championships in Antalya, Turkey. He competed with pain at the 2019 European Games in Belarus after a heel injury two weeks before the competition Two years prior, Dolgopyat competed in the 2017 World Championships in Canada with an injured foot. He has also suffered an Achilles tendon injury, a fractured finger and ongoing back problems (FIG).
More recently, Dolgopyat had to compete not with physical pain but mental and emotional anguish as an athletic event took place during the time of the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre.
“I woke up to the sound of an alert. I was scared. It was strange, I kept seeing there were alerts. Then I heard that there were dead and wounded. Throughout the day, I didn’t know how to get it out of my head,” he recalled. Choosing to continue with the competition, he described the challenge to perform: “It was clear to me that if I didn’t turn off my cell phone, I wouldn’t be able to compete. It was very difficult for me to disconnect. When I got the the arena, I told myself that I have to be in the competition and that’s it.”
Dolgopyat has since become a well-seasoned and highly respected athlete on the world stage, so you might be surprised to hear that Dolgopyat got started as a gymnast due to the promise of candy as a bribe! He explained how it all began on the Gymnovosti website.
"My father did gymnastics for a few years and wanted me to try it. I remember coming into the hall and I saw a lot of children jumping on the trampoline and doing saltos. The kids were two to three years older, I was the smallest in the class. At first, I practiced once a week, then twice, then three times. The coach promised candy if I did the elements. Then he replaced candy with juice. But my father started setting specific goals. At 11 years old, I was already training for four to five hours each day."
Originally from Ukraine, Dolgopyat moved to Israel in 2009 when he was 12 years old. "I didn't speak the language, I didn't have anything. It was summer, so the schools were on vacation and I spent all my time in the gym. I tried to talk to the other guys, ask them questions, but every time I had to find someone who spoke Russian to translate for me. Slowly I started understanding Hebrew. I never went to classes, I learned all my Hebrew at the gym."
Having achieved the pinnacle of his career with a gold medal in 2020, Dolgopyat now sets his sights on the Paris Olympics.
The State of Israel has done well not only in the field of gymnastics but also in judo, gaining a total of 12 Olympic medals for the sport.
Bronze medals were awarded to Israeli athletes Yarden Gerbi and Or Sasson for Women’s Judo and Men’s Judo respectively in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Another bronze went to the Israel National Judo Team in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.
Israel has also seen Olympic success in the sailing competition. Unsurprisingly, with a long coastline making it ideal for watersports, Israel has produced a number of skilled sailors.
Israeli windsurfer, Gal Fridman (48), became Israel's first-ever Olympic gold medalist in the 2004 Olympics held in Athens. He was given the honor of being Israel’s flag bearer at the closing ceremony.
He won many competitions, reaching the top spot in the International Sailing Federation rankings in February 2003.
He entered the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta representing Israel and gained a bronze medal for windsurfing. Quite prophetically, the name Gal means “wave” in Hebrew!
Fridman was initially introduced to windsurfing by his father at the age of 7. By the age of 11, he had begun to race competitively, and after serving in the IDF, he continued competing as an adult.
Whether it’s water sports, gymnastics, judo, or any other sport, we wish all of our wonderful Israeli athletes every success in the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
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Jo Elizabeth has a great interest in politics and cultural developments, studying Social Policy for her first degree and gaining a Masters in Jewish Philosophy from Haifa University, but she loves to write about the Bible and its primary subject, the God of Israel. As a writer, Jo spends her time between the UK and Jerusalem, Israel.
