Tom Reuveny secured Israel’s first gold medal at the Paris Olympics in the men’s iQFoil windsurfing final. Sharon Kantor also excelled, earning a silver medal in the women’s event, while Artem Dolgopyat captured a silver medal in the floor exercise of artistic gymnastics.
With these achievements, Israel’s total medal count in Paris reached six, surpassing the country’s previous record of four medals at a single Olympics, set during the 2020 Tokyo Games. This was also the first time Israel claimed three medals in a single day.
Reuveny’s gold medal, the fourth in Israel’s history, comes two decades after his coach, Gal Fridman, won the nation’s first-ever gold at the 2004 Athens Games in men’s sailboard competition. Israel’s last sailing medal was earned in 2008.
Reuveny and Kantor both celebrated their first-ever Olympic medals, while Dolgopyat had previously won gold in the men’s floor exercise in Tokyo. He now holds the distinction of being the first Israeli athlete to medal at consecutive Olympics.
Israel’s total count of Olympic medals now stands at 19, with five of them coming from sailing events. Judo remains Israel’s most successful sport, with a total of nine medals. Earlier in Paris, Israel secured three medals in judo, consisting of two silvers and one bronze.
Reuveny noted that the country’s remarkable success occurred during wartime.
“My brother has been a combat soldier since the war began,” stated Reuveny, 24, in an interview with Reuters following his victory.
“It was so hard to go training while everyone else was crying over lost people, dead people,” Reuveny expressed. “It’s been so hard and I still had to put my head down and keep training and it’s all for this moment.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog personally congratulated Reuveny on his gold medal triumph, as reported by the Times of Israel. Herzog commended the windsurfer, saying, “You made an entire nation happy, a nation that is at war and that is praying for the return of its hostages… you brought us a great light… you caused our national anthem to be played at this Olympics in Paris.”
Dolgopyat, originally from what is now Dnipro, Ukraine, and relocated to Israel at the age of 12, shared his relief following his win. Despite being a favorite for a medal, Dolgopyat struggled during the qualifying round in Paris.
“I had difficult months in training and in the qualifying round I didn’t do so well and didn’t know if I’d pass,” disclosed Dolgopyat, as mentioned by the Times of Israel. “I fell into a sort of depression. The team helped me and picked me up… I came today feeling very good… Now I’m the happiest I could be.”
Kantor, the first Israeli woman to secure a sailing medal, expressed her joy at her country’s overall success after clinching the silver medal.
“Look how many medals we’ve won!” exclaimed Kantor. “First in judo and now here. It’s incredible.”