Biography:
Yael Arad (Hebrew: יעל ארד) (born May 1, 1967 in Tel Aviv) was the first Israeli to win an Olympic medal.
Judo career:
Arad began studying judo at the age of 8, tagging along with her older brother to his lessons. For lack of judo partners, she trained with the coach of the men's team.
In 1983, at the age of 16, she was the runner-up in the 56-kg class in the German Open for Cadets. Although frustrated, because she thought she should have won the tournament, she believed she could become a world champion. To do this, however, she needed to go abroad for training, because in Israel, judo was an underdeveloped and underfinanced sport at the time.
She achieved her first international title in middleweight competition in 1984.
After her stint in the Israel Defense Forces, Arad found encouragement from past judo champions in Europe. She trained in Europe and Japan. he steadily improved her results and placed 2nd in the German Open in 1988. The following year, she finished 3rd at the European Championships.
In 1990, Arad defeated the world No. 1 and No. 2 before losing in the finals and taking home the silver medal at a tournament in Germany.
Arad lit the torch at the 1993 Maccabiah Games.
Arad finished in 2nd place at the 1993 World and European Championships, and placed 5th at the 1995 World Championships.
On the eve of the 1996 Summer Olympics, Arad had been Israeli champion 16 times and had competed in 49 international competitions, winning 24 medals; seven gold, eight silver, and nine bronze.
In 1997, she was elected to the Israeli Olympic Committee as a sports representative.
She is also a judo coach in Israel.
Olympics:
She won a silver medal in Judo (half middleweight; under 61 kg) in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. After winning her medal, she dedicated it to the victims of the 1972 Munich Massacre.
Arad returned to the Olympics at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, but she suffered from a viral infection and finished in 5th place.
She then was a coach for Israel at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
A two-time Olympian, Arad put judo on the map in Israel, making it one of the most popular sports in the country.
Highlights:
- 1991 – World Championships bronze medalist
- 1991 – Paris Tournament gold medalist
- 1992 – Olympic silver medalist
- 1993 – European champion
- 1993 – World Championships silver medalist
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