Olympic Sailing 2024: Israel are charting a new path in Men’s and Women’s Windsurfing

Sharon Kantor was the first to break the spell, winning silver in the women’s windsurfing with a brilliant display in her final race.

Emotions overcame Kantor when she crossed the finish line to become the first female Israeli ever to win a sailing medal.

She quickly returned to shore to join up with her coaches, but the celebrations were cut short as the entire team turned to the big screen to watch fellow Israeli athlete Tom Reuveny pull out the best performance of his life and win gold in the men’s windsurfing final.

The last time Israel appeared on an Olympic sailing podium was in Beijing, when Shahar Tzuberi picked up bronze in the windsurfing.

Kantor ended that dry spell, but her achievement was made more pertinent by the fact that she’s coached by Tzuberi.

“To get a medal is enough for me. I’m so happy,” said Kantor. “It’s so emotional, I felt like I was racing for all my team. I won the trials to be here and I’ve felt the whole team behind me, pushing me and supporting me.”

Before Paris 2024, Israel had only clinched one sailing gold medal. That came 20 years ago in Athens, when Gal Fridman became a national icon by winning gold in the windsurfing. To push the poetic symbolism even further, Fridman is now Reuveny’s coach, so got to watch on as his protégé became an Olympic champion.

In many ways, Tzuberi and Fridman not only set the example for others to follow, they helped guide the next generation to future glory.

“Gal was the first gold medallist from Israel, so he put a pretty big stamp on windsurfing. Since then it’s become a big sport in Israel, everyone knows about it.

“And everyone knows Gal, so cementing my name alongside him is pretty insane and Sharon is amazing as well. Gal’s my coach, and Shahar, who has a bronze from Beijing, is Sharon’s coach.

“It’s amazing to have two massive mentors helping us out, telling us exactly what to do and how it feels. They showed us how you should approach the game and it worked.”

Following in the footsteps of Fridman was not an easy task for Reuveny, but he relished the challenge and at no point felt irked by the expectations placed on his shoulders.

“I wasn’t really expected to win gold or even medal here, so there wasn’t a lot of pressure on me, but I always put the pressure on myself,” Reuveny admitted.

 

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“The Medal Race was so tight and Luuc and Grae are such good sailors that it all came down to small margins. I got the perfect layline and that made all the difference.”

Given that all five of Israel’s Olympic sailing medals have come in windsurfing, there is evidently a special connection between the country and the sport.

For Reuveny, his love of windsurfing began when he was child. He used to head to the beach to watch his father out on the water windsurfing and dreamt of doing the same. To this day Reuveny still windsurfs with his father in Israel whenever there’s good wind.

Kantor’s passion for windsurfing also started at an early age – she first got on a board aged 10 at the Michmoret Sailing Club and was instantly hooked.

“Everyone is windsurfing in Israel,” she said. “We have a lot of sea so we’re always out on the water, spending time practicing.

“We also worked really hard to get here, it didn’t come easy.”

To get to the Olympics, Kantor had to beat the most competitive national class of windsurfers in the world. No less than five Israeli women have won World Championship medals in the past three years alone.

That cohort includes Kantor and Shahar Tibi who both have a gold, Daniela Peleg who took silver, Maya Morris who earnt bronze and Katy Spychakov who has both silver and bronze.

Up until now the men’s side has not been nearly as profitable as the women’s, but after missing out on a spot in Tokyo, Reuveny made his Olympic debut count and hopes his breakthrough success can inspire a new wave of boys to join the sport.

“The women showed that it was possible to be on the podium and I wanted to be a part of it, so I worked hard to join in,” Reuveny said.

“There’s now a young team coming through in Israel who are pushing hard. The women’s team is amazing and has been at the top for the last three years.

“I hope the men’s team can now follow in their footsteps so that both of us can be the strongest teams in the world.”