Yael Arad
Encyclopedia
Yael Arad (born May 1, 1967) is an Israel
i judoka.
She was the first Israeli to win an Olympic
medal. She is widely recognized as one of Israel's most successful athletes and is credited with bringing judo
into the athletic mainstream.
In 2005, she was voted the 103rd-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet
to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.
. She started taking judo classes at the age of eight and within half a year, ranked second in Israel in her weight class. Later, lacking judo partners, she trained with the coach of the men's team. In 1995, Arad married Lior Kahane.
In 1992, at the Olympic games
in Barcelona, Arad became the first Israeli athlete to win an Olympic medal. She narrowly missed the gold based on a judge's decision in the half middleweight competition, but won the silver medal. She lost to Catherine Fleury of France. Arad dedicated the medal to the victims of the 1972 Munich Massacre
.
In 1993, she won a gold medal in the European championships. In the world championships that year, she lost in the finals to Gella van de Caveye of Belgium, taking home a silver medal.
She was chosen to light the torch at the 1993 Maccabiah Games
. She finished in second place at the 1993 World and European Championships and fifth at the 1995 World Championships.
At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Arad lost to Jung Sung-Sook
of Korea, competing for the bronze. She went into the fight sick with a virus and ended up in fifth place.
She served as judo coach for Israel in the 2000 Sydney Olympics
.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i judoka.
She was the first Israeli to win an Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
medal. She is widely recognized as one of Israel's most successful athletes and is credited with bringing judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
into the athletic mainstream.
In 2005, she was voted the 103rd-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet
Ynet
Ynet is the most popular Israeli news and general content website. It is owned by the same conglomerate that operates Yediot Ahronot, the country's secondleading daily newspaper...
to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.
Biography
Yael Arad, who is Jewish, was born in Tel AvivTel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
. She started taking judo classes at the age of eight and within half a year, ranked second in Israel in her weight class. Later, lacking judo partners, she trained with the coach of the men's team. In 1995, Arad married Lior Kahane.
International judo career
In 1984, at the age of 17, Arad won her first international title in a middleweight competition. She came in 7th in the world judo championships in Vienna. In 1989, 1990 and 1991, she won medals in the European championships. To hone her skills, she underwent training in Japan.In 1992, at the Olympic games
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
in Barcelona, Arad became the first Israeli athlete to win an Olympic medal. She narrowly missed the gold based on a judge's decision in the half middleweight competition, but won the silver medal. She lost to Catherine Fleury of France. Arad dedicated the medal to the victims of the 1972 Munich Massacre
Israel at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Israel competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, which began on August 26. On September 5 and 6, eleven members of the Israeli team were captured and murdered by terrorists. The remainder of the team left Munich the day after the conclusion of the horrific event Israel competed...
.
In 1993, she won a gold medal in the European championships. In the world championships that year, she lost in the finals to Gella van de Caveye of Belgium, taking home a silver medal.
She was chosen to light the torch at the 1993 Maccabiah Games
1993 Maccabiah Games
The 1993 Maccabiah Games was the 14th installment of the Maccabiah Games and brought 5,100 athletes to Israel from 48 nations.Jewish athletes from Poland, Bulgaria, and Czechoslovakia participated for the first time after World War II, after the fall of the Iron Curtain...
. She finished in second place at the 1993 World and European Championships and fifth at the 1995 World Championships.
At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Arad lost to Jung Sung-Sook
Jung Sung-Sook
Jung Sung-Sook is a South Korean judoka.She won two Olympic bronze medals in the half-middleweight division in 1996 and 2000.In 1994, Jung won the gold medal at the World judo championships in Chiba, Japan....
of Korea, competing for the bronze. She went into the fight sick with a virus and ended up in fifth place.
She served as judo coach for Israel in the 2000 Sydney Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
.
Olympic medal
After winning her Olympic medal, Arad wrote:Thursday, July 30, 1992. A fateful day, a watershed day, a day of fame, a day of self-fulfillment. A day that required fifteen years of hard work, endless investment and hidden self-confidence. The day I won the Olympic silver medal. My medal. The first medal of the State of Israel. … I went onto the mat like a stormy wind, after a warm-up that drove from my body all the little demons that threatened to defeat me even before it all began. The first match was against a woman from Spain who had already defeated me twice in the past, but it was clear to me that this time she had no chance. I went off after four minutes, the winner. The second match was against a woman from the Czech Republic. We knew each other well and we both knew I was better. The victory over her contributed a bit more to building confidence for the tough and significant match of the day. Four minutes were all that stood between myself and my life’s dream. … When the match started, the semi-finals, I was there with all my battle gear. And suddenly, it was all over. I had won. … Emotionally it was the highest moment of my life and despite my losing later in the finals the victory in the semi-finals against the woman from Germany was the sweetest of all. That day I changed from a person who wanted to a person who could. And that made all the difference.
Retirement
After retiring from the sport, Arad continued with judo as a coach and sports entrepreneur. Today she holds a key management position in a children's product company and serves as a TV commentator at judo competitions.Further reading
- Women of Valor: Stories of Great Jewish Women Who Helped Shape the 20th Century, Sheila Segal, Behrman House, Inc, 1996, ISBN 0874416124, pp. 123–26