The Paris Olympics may over, but the celebration for Israeli athletes are just beginning. After capturing 7 medals in France, the standard has been set across the board for the immediate and future success of the blue-and-white delegation as each and every competitor will look to do one better in the next Games which are slated for Los Angeles. <\/p>\n
The Israeli Judo contingent had a banner Olympic Games winning two silvers and a bronze which broke the glass ceiling of two medals which were won in 2016 as well back in 1992. In Barcelona Israel won its first ever medal thanks to Yael Arad and an almost immediate second by Oren Smadja which set the sport up to be one of the cornerstones of the country for years to come. <\/p>\n
Now back in Israel, it\u2019s time for the nation\u2019s judokas to sit back, get a bit of rest and relaxation and understand the importance of their accomplishments. One such athlete is silver medalist Raz Hershko who advanced all the way to the gold medal bout but ultimately just came up a tad short this time around to take the top spot on the podium. Nonetheless seeing the blue-and-white flag fly high was a massive accomplishment for Hershko and the entire nation that has gone through one challenge after the next since the brutal attack on the country by Hamas on October 7th. <\/p>\n
With that in mind, Hershko spoke to The Sports Rabbi about returning back to the Holy Land with her Silver medal in tow as well as plenty of pride and joy as to what she was able to do for her country.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t digested it yet,\u201d Hershko began roughly two weeks after winning silver in Paris. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing and it was a dream come true. It was something that I wanted for such a long time and I worked so, so hard for that moment. I don\u2019t know when I\u2019ll be able to finally sit back and understand the magnitude of my accomplishment, but I am sure that it will be soon. Until then I am living the moment and I keep revisiting it in my mind time and time again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hershko\u2019s silver medal journey began by downing Marit Kamps from Holland via Ippon in the Round of 16 and then easily took care of Milica Zabic from Serbia with a Waza-ari in the quarterfinals to move into the semifinals. Hershko then assured herself of a medal when she won that bout against Turkish foe Kayra Ozdemir who she disposed of in a quick 14 seconds via Ippon.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that when I won the semifinal I just couldn\u2019t believe that I won so quickly as I had fought Ozdemir so many times and to beat her in 14 seconds I was in absolute shock. I remember that told my coach Shani Hershko that I was so surprised and he said that I should be happy for a minute or two and then bring that focus in to the gold medal matchup.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cIn the final, it was just so hard once I made a small mistake at the start of the bout and then I had to try the entire time to flip the score. While there were moments of almost at the end of the day Beatriz Souza from Brazil won the gold. She may have been bigger than me, but that is the weight class that I am in and have to compete in which is +78kg where there is no limit. There are bigger judokas than me and it\u2019s also something that isn\u2019t new to me either, but I put in my best. <\/p>\n
Hershko wasn\u2019t the only Israeli judoka that won a medal as the contingent won three, as Inbar Lanir also captured silver and Peter Paltchik won bronze making for one super successful showing. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s unbelievable and we made history. The fact that we even went to wo finals is amazing putting the actual medals aside. But there was a plan in place right after the Tokyo Olympics ended. Shani said we have to work even harder now and get ready for the 2024 Olympics in order for us to make history. He kept pressing that that into our minds and that has been in our heads the entire time. We went to the World Championships and we won two medals, then we took home four medals in the European Championships plus all of the Grand Slams and Grand Prixs. We kept winning over the past few years and that is something he imbued in all of us time and time again.\u201d <\/p>\n
Prior to the Games as well as during the Olympics themselves, the Israeli delegation faced threats to their safety but Hershko said that at no point did she feel unsafe and that the security forces that were protecting them did so in a way that was extremely non-intrusive and allowed the athletes to compete with a clear head. <\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t feel anything at all,\u201d Hershko said. \u201cThe Israel Olympic Committee and the State of Israel along with the French security services really made sure that we were protected and we felt safe. I never felt that I was under any type of outside pressure or threats the entire time I was competing in Paris. <\/p>\n
Hershko began her path towards an Olympic medal at the tender age of 4 when her uncle and current coach Shani Hershko made sure that the entire family would come to his judo club and enjoy an afterschool type program. In Raz\u2019s case, she took that more than one step further than most and ended up falling in love with the sport and made it her life\u2019s mission but her success is also due to the fact that uncle and niece know how to make sure that they can operate as athlete and coach. <\/p>\n
\u201cI never have felt that Shani is my uncle when I am training as we really put in a separation between uncle and coach. He is the coach and I am the athlete. I never received any extra special or preferential treatment that he is family and that has always been the case and in reality the recipe of our success.\u201d <\/p>\n
Now back in Israel, Hershko is going to take a bit of a break from competition and meet up friends, family and all of those who supported her along the way, \u201cI need the break and just see everyone who had been there for me throughout this incredible journey. It\u2019s a physical and mental break that is much needed.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for the next Olympic Games in 2028 in Los Angeles, the 26-year old Hershko was crystal clear as to what her upcoming plans are, \u201cNo question I will be there. I want to bring home the right colored medal next time and I will do my best in order to bring home gold in four years time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally, Hershko is well aware that her accomplishments are not just personal, but for an entire nation that has gone through so much since October 7th and the brutal attacks from Gaza by Hamas which has caused so much pain to the country as hostages are still being held by the terrorists. <\/p>\n
Since October 7th I feel the extra need to not only succeed for myself but I want to succeed for the entire country. That in itself gave me a huge drive in Paris. The medal isn\u2019t just for me but for all of us. I wanted to represent our flag the best way that I could and show what type of country we are during these very tough times.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Paris Olympics may over, but the celebration for Israeli athletes are just beginning. After capturing 7 medals in France, the standard has been set across the board for the immediate and future success of the blue-and-white delegation as each and every competitor will look to do one better in the next Games which are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":117046,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4074],"tags":[29,6095],"class_list":["post-117010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-jews-in-sports","tag-israel","tag-raz-hershko","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n