[ad_1]
Marseille, France: After winning the men’s windsurfing gold medal on Saturday, Israeli athlete Tom Luvigni said winning the gold medal for Israel meant more than Olympic glory because of the war in Gaza.
“My brother has been a combat soldier since the beginning of the war… It means a lot to me to win this competition, it’s a great feeling,” Ruveni told Reuters after landing.
Ruvini won gold in the women’s windsurfing event, and her teammate, 21-year-old Sharon Kantor, won silver, setting a new record for Israeli Olympic sailing medals.
Eli Zuckerman, head coach of the Israeli Olympic sailing team, said: “We have been in a difficult situation this year and in a difficult situation… It is a great honor for everyone to represent Israel in this situation, and we all understand our role: to bring a little joy to everyone.”
“I’m very happy that we succeeded,” he told Reuters, adding: “I think the athletes are also very happy and proud to have been able to do this in such a complicated situation in our country.”
Mr. Ruvini, 24, said he felt the support of the entire nation of Israel helped him get through the difficult times ahead of the Olympics, and he thanked everyone for their messages of support.
“It’s so hard for me to go to training when everyone else is crying about the people they’ve lost, the people who have died. It’s so hard, but I still have to keep my head down and keep training, it’s all leading up to this moment,” said the visibly emotional sailor.
The Israeli sailing team’s coach said the team will compete in a record seven of the 10 sailing events at the 2024 Olympics and the expectations placed on them give them a clear sense of purpose.
“We are not just surfing or sailing, we are representing Israel and we are going to do our best and strive for the greatest honor,” Zuckerman said.
“A lot of people say: ‘We see you guys on TV (in Tel Aviv), it makes us happy, it’s amazing, it’s magical.’ If we don’t see it from that perspective, you can’t continue training because you say: ‘What are we doing?’” he added.
“When you understand that, and we get it from a lot of people, it gives us a lot of strength,” said the head coach, adding: “On the other hand, if we didn’t need this and the situation would be the same as in other countries, I would be happy”.
Zuckerman said Israel has previously won three medals in windsurfing, all won by coaches in Marseille for Israeli sailors. Rouvini’s coach won Israel’s first gold medal in Athens in 2004, while Cantor’s coach won bronze in 2008.
[ad_2]
Source link
