Israeli judoka Raz Hershko clinched a silver medal in the women’s over-78-kilogram judo competition at the Paris Olympics, bringing Israel its third medal in judo. This victory adds to Israel’s total of 16 Olympic medals, with nine of them coming from judo competitions. The mixed judo team, including Hershko, also won bronze in Tokyo and will compete on Saturday, aiming to match or surpass Israel’s previous total of four medals in a single Olympics.
Hershko’s success follows the achievements of her teammates Inbar Lanir, who won silver in the women’s under-78-kilogram class, and Peter Paltchik, who secured bronze in the men’s under-100kg weight category.
Although Hershko fell short of the gold medal, losing to Brazil’s Beatriz Souza in the final, she expressed mixed emotions about her silver win. As the world’s No. 2 ranked judoka in her category, she reflected on her journey since the Tokyo Olympics, where she was eliminated in the Round of 16.
“Being a silver medalist sounds great,” Hershko said, according to Haaretz. “It’s a shame I didn’t win gold, that was the goal. I’m very happy and moved, and I’m at a loss for words. Usually, I talk a lot, but now I’m speechless. I’ve been through so much to reach this moment, three years since Tokyo. I did everything I could to give my best and make up for what happened there.”