JERUSALEM (AP) – Forget the handshake that wasn’t – Israel is delighted with something much more unusual: international athletic success.
While an Egyptian judoka’s refusal to shake hands with his Israeli opponent at the Rio Olympics reverberated worldwide, in Israel the focus is on national Olympic medals – something far more novel than Middle East tensions.
The country entered the 2016 games with twice as many Nobel laureates as Olympic medalists.
After defeating Egyptian Islam El Shehaby in the contentious first round match in Rio, Israel’s Or Sasson went on to win a bronze medal in the heavyweight category. His triumph, and another bronze medal for Yarden Gerbi in the women’s 63-kilogram judo division, has set off a national celebration in which the nation’s leaders have hailed the pair as heroes.
“I still can’t digest it. I’m stunned,” the 25-year-old Sasson said. “We did something amazing. Israel is a judo empire.”