“I was so close to gold; I felt I could almost reach it,” Israeli judoka Raz Hershko, who won a silver medal in the over-78 kilograms (about 170 pounds) category at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, told JNS.
“I’m thrilled with my performance, but we always want more,” she added.
Hershko, who lost to Brazilian counterpart Beatriz Souza in the final on Aug. 2, said she was surprised by the crowd who came to greet her at Ben-Gurion Airport upon her return to Israel.
“I thought that people would come, but not so many. It was exciting and moving, and I’m thankful to everyone who was there,” she said.
“My family supported me and allowed me to be myself completely,” she added. “My uncle and coach, Shany, and my entire training team always gave me the feeling that I could break the glass ceiling.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog both called Hershko to congratulate her on the performance.
“You have brought victory, together with your colleagues in the delegation, huge victories, which have always brought pride to the State of Israel, but at this time they simply lift the spirit of the nation,” said Netanyahu during the call.
Responded Hershko: “This is our goal, to come and represent the country in the most correct, clean and best way possible, and to show everyone how strong we are and what an amazing people we are and that nothing can bring us down. This medal is mine, but in effect it belongs to us all.”
Hershko described a generally peaceful environment at the Olympic Village during her stay in Paris.
“There were competitors from many countries—those who like us and those who like us less. But we came to do what we all like the most: train and compete, and make our dreams come true,” she said.
“For me, politics and sports are two separate things, and I didn’t feel any animosity from other competitors,” she continued. “Even if our countries don’t get along at the political level, we’d either greet each other with a nod or not pay attention to one another.”
Hershko said her experience was not impacted by the war against Hamas in Gaza, triggered by the Palestinian terror group’s Oct. 7 massacre of 1,200 Israelis.
“I didn’t feel antisemitism; there were a lot of Israeli flags and an audience who really cheered for us. I felt as much at home as possible,” she said.
“The security personnel made me feel the safest without even feeling their presence. It was amazing,” she added.
As for the restrictions imposed on the delegation for security reasons, Hershko said it was actually beneficial to her performance.
“I was so concentrated that I didn’t really want to leave the village anyway, except for training and competitions,” she said. “It didn’t really bother me, because it allowed me to gather my thoughts and be focused.”
‘There’s nothing like returning to Israel’
Because she was so ensconced in the event and didn’t look at her phone much, Hershko said she was not aware of real-time developments in the war, including the assassination of Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh in Iran. Nevertheless, her heart always remained with her compatriots back home, where she was itching to return.
“I didn’t really know what was happening, but there’s nothing like returning to Israel, the best country in the world. No matter what happens, I will always want to come back. I didn’t hesitate for even a split second,” she said.
Israelis who medaled at Paris received $271,000 for gold, $216,000 for silver and $135,000 for bronze, according to a CNBC report.
“I will save and use it wisely,” Hershko told JNS.
Israel won a record seven medals at the Paris Summer Games, including Tom Reuveny bringing home a gold in the men’s windsurfing competition. Sharon Kantor won a silver in the women’s windsurfing event.
Also claiming silver medals were judoka Inbar Lanir in the women’s under-78 kilogram class; Artem Dolgopyat in the men’s artistic gymnastics floor exercise; and the women’s rhythmic gymnastic team in the group all-around competition.
Israeli judoka Peter Paltchik won a bronze medal in the men’s under-100 kilogram (about 220 pounds) category.
