Launched last Friday, the Tokyo Olympics has so far seen just one medal taken home from Israel. The first medal was a bronze win by Avishag Semberg, 19, who competed in Taekwondo, and defeated the former champion, Turkey’s Rukiye Yldrm.
Chili Tropper, Sports Minister, applauded the athlete, sharing that she “made the dream a reality and brought [Israel] its first medal with an amazing opening to the Olympics. When I met her before the Olympics I found her to be a humble, ambitious athlete ready to do anything to reach her goals. Avishag – we are proud of you!”
While no other medals have surfaced just yet, swimmer Anastasia Gorbenko, 17, moved to the women’s 100m backstroke finals, finishing her heat 59.30 seconds, breaking the Israeli record by 30 milliseconds. Gorbenko advanced to the next round, yet fell short of advancing. With a sportsmanlike spirit, Gorbenko says “It’s been so exciting to be at my first games. It’s great to be able to represent our country and we have a terrific group of athletes. I gave it my all and unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough. I was close but in all this was my first time in a final and I am happy that I didn’t succumb to the pressure. I was a bit disappointed, but I was very close. My goal is to advance as far as I can.”
As Israel continues to wait for news from Tokyo, what was considered a somewhat victory took place in the opening ceremony, where a brief moment of silence was honored for the 11 Israeli athletes who were murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympics by a Palestinian terrorist group. Widows of the slain, Ankie Spitzer and Ilana Romano, had petitioned for a commemoration for years. The first one took place in 2016, and in 2021, the widows were able to attend and witness the memorial firsthand.
