Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on July 30, 2021

(JTA) The Jewish highlights of the Tokyo Olympics kicked off with Jewish basketball superstar Sue Bird serving as one of Team USAs two flag bearers at the opening ceremony, a huge honor.

The lasting accolades, though, are the medals that winning athletes take home. Dozens of Jewish athletes are competing in the Games this year, but the fierce competition means that only some will enter the record books as gold, silver or bronze medalists.

Here are the Jewish athletes who have clinched a medal, in chronological order. Well continue to update this list until the last day of competition, Aug. 8.

Semberg, 19, was third in the womens under-49 kg category, giving Israel its first medal of the Tokyo Olympics and its first ever in the sport.

I said to myself, I want this medal more than she does, and I did it I have an Olympic medal at 19, its a dream come true, Semberg said following her win.

Because of the pandemic, Semberg did not stay in Tokyo long afterward, and she was greeted at Ben Gurion Airport with a festive reception and big celebration.

Fox, considered by many to be the greatest paddler of all time, was the only athlete to medal in both canoe slalom and kayak slalom. She finished a disappointing third in the kayak race, but rallied for the gold in the historic canoe event it was the first time that womens canoe slalom has been contested at the Olympics.

Fox had previously won two Olympic medals: silver in 2012 and bronze in 2016. Her mom, Jewish Olympian Myriam Jerusalmi, won bronze at the 1996 Olympics in kayak slalom. Jerusalmi now coaches her daughter.

Akhaimova, who is competing in her first Olympics, earned the top score on vault during the womens gymnastics team finals, helping propel the Russian Olympic Committee, aka Team Russia, to the gold medal.

Akhaimova will compete in the womens individual vault competition later in the Games.

By Emily Burack

See more here:

These Jewish Athletes Have Won Medals at the Tokyo Olympics - The Jewish News

Category: Jewish
Tags: