A huge evening for Raz Hershko and Israeli sports. The Israeli judoka in the over 78 kg weight category won this evening (Saturday) the European Judo Championship held in Zagreb for the first time in her career. Even earlier, Inbar Lanir won the bronze medal in the category of up to 78 kg.
In the final, Hershko met the French Tolopoa, and showed impressive superiority from the first second, with aggressive and proactive moves. Already at the start, she managed to squeeze two penalties from her French opponent, until towards the end of the fight she managed to complete a huge victory that brings a lot of respect to Israeli judo in particular and to Israeli sport in general.
As mentioned, this is Hershko’s first gold medal win at the European Championships, after finishing with the silver medal in the competitions held in Tashkent and Doha in the last two championships.
Raz Hershko with the gold medal (courtesy of the Judo Association)
Raz Hershko, the new European champion, said after the victory: “I am happy but this happiness is not complete. I dedicate this medal to the late Yonatan Gutin, without whom the win is incomplete. As far as judo is concerned, I had a good day and of course finishing with gold and with the title of champion is always gratifying. For us, this is another stop on the way to the Paris Olympics.”
Coach of the women’s team Both of them were drunk He said: “There is nothing more important for Israel’s women’s national team than to voice the hope wherever possible in the world and I am happy that we were able to do it today. This is the third European Championship in a row in which the women’s team has won three or more medals. In 2022 and this year we won four medals and last year we won ‘only’ three. These days it has a double and redoubled meaning for us to represent the country we all love and to wave the flag in blue and white. As in any competition, we learn the lessons to reach our main goal, the Olympic Games in Paris in the optimal way. Our medals are dedicated to the soldiers of the IDF and the families of the abductees, who, like all the people of Israel, we also pray will return to their families soon.’
Chairman of the Judo Association Moshe Ponti He noted: “The European Championship of the women’s team is amazing. Four medals is a tremendous achievement, and the title of European champion is a very special title. Congratulations to Raz and Amber on the medals today, to Tamar on her first medal at the European Championships and to avoid another medal at the European Championships. The athletes show that they are at the top of the world week after week. Special congratulations to both Hershko and his team for leading such a high quality team. It has a special meaning to hear the hope at a time like this.’
Raz Hershko and Inbar Lanir with the medals (courtesy of the Judo Union)
The European runner-up in the last two years opened the competition in the second round and defeated the Dutch Karen Stevenson in Iphon. In the quarter finals Bevasari beat Alice Strasseva and now secured a blue and white medal when she qualified for the finals.
Hershko defeated the Turkish Kiara Ozdemir in the semi-final stage, in which she secured a medal.
Raz Hershko is at the top of the world in the open weight for women over 78 kg. The 25-year-old Jewess from Netanya, the niece of the coach of the women’s team, Shani Hershko, who won the title of coach of the year in Europe, is a candidate for an Olympic medal in Paris 2024, which will be held in about three months in France.
