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Israeli judoka Raz Hershko continued her run of success Saturday, claiming a silver medal at the European Judo Championships in Podgorica, Montenegro. It marks her fourth consecutive podium finish at the continental event and solidifies her status as one of Israel’s top athletes. Hershko’s silver was Israel’s only medal at this year’s tournament, earned on its final day.
2 View gallery Raz Hershko (left) ( Photo: SAVO PRELEVIC / AFP ) The 26-year-old, competing in the over-78 kilogram category, showed dominance throughout the competition and came within one victory of defending her title, having won gold last year . In the final, however, she lost to France’s Romane Dicko, the world’s top-ranked judoka, who secured victory with a waza-ari followed by an ippon about a minute into the match. It was Dicko’s fifth consecutive win over Hershko.
"Despite the disappointment of losing in the final, I am very proud to have reached the European Championship final for the fourth time," Hershko said. "I am not yet at peak form, but it was important for me to come, compete and fight for a medal during this period, between Holocaust Remembrance Day and Memorial Day for Israel’s fallen soldiers. I dedicate this medal to the memory of Yonatan Goutin , his family and all the people of Israel.
May we stay strong, united and may all hostages return home soon." Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play : https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store : https://bit.
ly/3ZL7iNv Her coach, Shani Hershko, added, "It’s always disappointing to lose a final and settle for silver. On the other hand, Raz’s achievement—reaching the European final four times in a row—is phenomenal. While we expected more and are disappointed to return with only one medal, the women’s team gave a respectable performance.
Our athletes were committed and fought hard. Gili Cohen and Timna Nelson-Levy came close to medals, and despite the disappointment, I am encouraged. We’ll continue working hard, aiming for more podium finishes at the World Championships in June.
" 2 View gallery Hershko and Romane Dicko in the final ( Photo: SAVO PRELEVIC / AFP ) Hershko began her day with a quick victory over Croatia’s Tina Radic, scoring a fast waza-ari followed by a pin for an ippon within the first minute. In the quarterfinals, she edged Russia’s Alice Strestava in a tight match, maintaining a 1-2 lead with a yuko, a score recently reintroduced to judo rules. A video review overturned a waza-ari initially awarded against her, helping her advance.
In the semifinals, against Italy’s Asia Tavano, Hershko scored an early yuko and two minutes before the end, threw her opponent for a waza-ari and immediately secured an ippon through a pin, punching her ticket to the final. Hershko returned to competition this February after winning an Olympic silver medal in Paris and earned a bronze at the Paris Grand Slam. Over the past three years between the Tokyo and Paris Olympics, she closed significant personal and competitive gaps, also capturing a world championship bronze—three years after narrowly missing a medal due to a controversial penalty for adjusting her hair tie during a match.
In early 2024, she reached the world No. 1 ranking in her weight category, an achievement few Israeli judokas have matched. >.
