“We tried not to think about the war but we can’t deny it either,” Ofir Shaham, 19, who won a silver medal in the rhythmic gymnastics group all-around competition at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, told JNS on Thursday.
“We tried to focus on what we needed to do in order to raise our flag the highest and make people at home and the entire Israeli nation proud. We wanted to give them something to be a little happy about,” she added.
Shaham started rhythmic gymnastics at the age of nine in the town of Zikhron Ya’akov, and after five years joined a club in Netanya with a view to reaching the next level.
“At my bat mitzvah, when I was 12, I made a photo book with a lot of pictures. On one picture, I wrote ‘Paris 2024.’ I decided this was what I wanted to do and that I would do anything I could to get there,” she said.
Ahead of the Paris Games, Shaham trained eight to 10 hours every day for three years with her teammates and co-medalists Shani Bakanov, 18, Adar Friedmann, 18, Romi Paritzki, 20, and Diana Svertsov, 19.
“The Israeli national team is like a family,” Shaham said.
“My dream came true the moment I stepped into the Olympic Village and even before that when we got on the plane,” she continued.
The team placed second to China in the Aug. 10 competition, losing out by a score of 69.800 points to 68.850.
“When we got onto the podium, seeing my family and my friends in the crowd waving at me, the love and pride in their eyes, was really moving,” Shaham told JNS.
“The medal is something I couldn’t even dream of, it’s more than a dream, it’s unbelievable. It’s for the little girl in me who wanted big things.”
Shaham dedicated her performance to everyone who made it possible for her to reach such heights.
“This is for a lot of people. My team of coaches and the medical staff, all those supporting us. We are five on the carpet with one reserve gymnast, and it’s for us, for the entire country and of course for me,” she said.
“This is also for my family who supported me since I was little. Without my father driving from Zikhron to Netanya when I was young, this wouldn’t have been possible.”
Shaham said she had a great experience exploring the Olympic Village on her last day in Paris, once the competition was over.
“I heard some people complain about the beds because they were made out of cardboard, but for me it was really comfortable,” she said.
“There were many different types of food at the village. There were things like seafood I hadn’t eaten before. It’s something I would want to try on a vacation but in sport we can’t take this risk. I focused on eating like I do regularly and did not change anything.”
As for interaction with athletes from countries hostile to Israel, Shaham described a generally peaceful atmosphere during her stay, during which she remained quite insulated from external pressures and developments.
“I did not look at the news, I did not check what happened in Israel in order to be focused on what I came to do. I came to represent my country in the best way possible, and otherwise I would have been distracted.”
Asked if she plans to compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, Shaham was noncommittal.
“For now I will take some time for myself, for the body to heal, for my head to process what happened, and then I will see what is next. I don’t think I will leave the sport anytime soon, it’s a part of me,” she said.
Now back in Israel, she is looking forward to spending time with her best friend, Emily, writing in her journal about the experience and going for out for dinner—all the while adjusting to her new celebrity status.
“Wherever a sushi restaurant is open, I’m there,” said Shaham. “I’ll be sitting eating with my mother and someone will approach me and say, ‘Oh my God, are you the one who won the medal?’
“A lot of people say they see us as an inspiration, and that is above and beyond, it’s very exciting,” she continued.
“I was never afraid to come back home. This is my country, we have a great army, and I don’t see why I should be scared,” she said.
Asked what her message is to those who aspire to greatness, Shaham said to keep believing in one’s self.
“If there is something you want to do or achieve, the road is hard, you cannot achieve something great in an easy way. You need to work hard but it’s worth it, you will succeed,” she said.
