Raz Hershko Explained

Raz Hershko
Birth Date:19 June 1998
Native Name Lang:heb
Nationality:Israel
Birth Place:Netanya, Israel
Coach:Shani Hershko, Miki Tanaka, and Ido Bar[1]
Weight Class:+78 kg
Rank:Black
Rank Ref:[2]
Dan:3
Olympics Rank:2
Olympics Year:2024
Olympics Weight:Women's +78 kg
Worlds Rank:3
Worlds Year:2023
Worlds Weight:Women's +78 kg
Regionals Type:EU
Regionals Rank:1
Regionals Year:2024
Regionals Weight:Women's +78 kg
Highestranking:1st[3] [4]
Updated:2 August 2024

Raz Hershko (he|רז הרשקו; born 19 June 1998; nicknamed Hershkules)[5] is an Israeli Olympic silver medalist and European champion judoka. She was the 2015 European U18 Champion, the 2017 European U23 championships silver medalist, and won a bronze medal in the 2023 world championships. She competed for Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics, winning a bronze medal in mixed team. She is the 2024 European Champion. Representing Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Hershko won the silver medal in judo in the women's +78 kg, and also competed in the mixed team event, in which Team Israel came in ninth.

Early life

Herhsko was born in Netanya, Israel, and is Jewish.[6] Her uncle is Israeli-born former judoka and current Head Coach of the Israel women's national judo team Shani Hershko, and when she was four years old she joined the judo club he had founded.[1] In 2016, she began her Israeli Defense Forces service as an exceptional athlete.[1]

Hershko is openly lesbian.[7] [8] [9] [10] She said: "I came out to my parents, and now I feel that everyone accepts me as I am."[1]

Career

Hershko competes in the 78 kg-and-over weight category. She is coached by Shani Hershko, Miki Tanaka, and Ido Bar.[1] Hershko trains at the Wingate Institute in Netanya, Israel.[1]

2014–16; European U18 Champion

Hershko won the silver medal in the 2014 European Cup U21 Coimbra, and bronze medals in the 2014 European Cup U21 Thessaloniki and the 2014 European Cup U21 La Coruna. She won the gold medal in the 2014 Israeli U18 Championships in Ra'anana.

Hershko won the 2015 European U18 Judo Championships in Sofia.[11] [12] [13] She also won silver medals at the 2015 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival, the 2015 European Cup U21 La Coruna, and the 2015 European Cup Cadets Fuengirola.[14] [15] She won the silver medal in the 2015 Israeli Championships in Ra'anana.

She won the gold medals at the 2016 European Cup U21 Athens and the 2016 European Cup U21 Ploiesti. Hershko also won a bronze medal at the 2016 European Cup U21 La Coruna. She won the gold medal at the 2016 Israeli U21 Championships in Ra'anana.

2017–20; European U23 championships silver medal

Hershko won a silver medal at the 2017 European U23 Championships in Podgorica, Montenegro,[16] [17] [18] [19] and a bronze at the 2018 European U23 Championships in Gyor, Hungary.[20] [21] [22] [23] She won the gold medal in the 2018 European Cup Malaga, Spain. She won the silver medal in the 2017 Israeli Championships in Ra'anana.

She won the gold medal in the 2018 Israeli Championships in Tel Aviv.

At the 2019 Grand Prix Montreal in Canada, Hershko won a silver medal, and at the 2019 European Open Cluj Napoca in Romania she won a bronze medal. She won the gold medal in the 2019 Israeli Championships in Tel Aviv. In November 2020, she had elbow surgery.[1]

2020 Tokyo Olympics (in 2021); bronze medal

Hershko represented Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in 2021, competing at the women's +78 kg weight category. Hershko won her first match with an ippon against the Saudi Tahani Alqahtani in 42 seconds, advancing to the round of 16.[1] There, she met the 2019 world champion – Japan's Akira Sone. Hershko lost to Sone, ending her part in the individual competition.[24] [25] [26] [27] She won an Olympic bronze medal in the mixed team.

2021–present; European Champion, and world championship bronze medal

Hershko won the gold medals at the 2021 Antalya Grand Slam in Turkey and the 2021 Judo Grand Slam Paris in France.[28] [29] She also won bronze medals at the 2021 Judo Grand Slam Baku and the 2021 Judo Grand Slam Abu Dhabi.

Hershko won the silver medal at the 2022 European Judo Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. She also won gold medals at the 2022 Judo Grand Slam Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia and the 2022 Judo Grand Prix Zagreb in Croatia. She won a silver medal at the 2022 Judo Grand Slam Antalya in Turkey, and bronze medals at the 2022 Judo World Masters in Jerusalem, Israel, the 2022 Tel Aviv Grand Slam in Israel, and the 2022 Judo Grand Slam Budapest in Hungary.[30]

Hershko won a bronze medal at the 2023 World Judo Championships in Doha, Qatar. She won the silver medal at the 2023 European Judo Championships in Montpellier, France. She won gold medals at the 2023 Judo Grand Slam Tel Aviv in Israel and the 2023 Judo Grand Slam Tbilisi in Georgia, a silver medal at the 2023 Judo Grand Slam Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, and bronze medals at the 2023 Judo Grand Slam Baku and the 2023 Judo Grand Slam Tokyo. She won the gold medal in the 2023 Israeli Championships.

Hershko won the gold medal at the 2024 European Judo Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. She dedicated her medal to Israeli Yonatan Goutin, who was killed by Hamas terrorists in the October 7 attack on Kibbutz Be'eri in the Be'eri massacre.[31] She won a bronze medal at the 2024 Judo Grand Slam Paris in France.

2024 Paris Olympics; Silver medal

Representing Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Hershko won the silver medal in judo in the women's +78 kg.[32] [33] She defeated Marit Kamps of the Netherlands, Milica Žabić of Serbia, former two-time European champion Kayra Özdemir of Turkey (in 14 seconds), and then lost in the final to five-time Pan American champion Beatriz Souza of Brazil.[34] She also competed in the mixed team event, in which Team Israel came in ninth.[35] She said:

Since October 7 [the date of the [[2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel]]], I feel the extra need to not only succeed for myself but I want to succeed for the entire country.,,, The medal isn’t just for me but for all of us. I wanted to represent our flag the best way that I could, and show what type of country we are during these very tough times.[34]

Titles

Source:[36] [33]

Year Tournament Place Ref.
2019[37] [38]
2021
[39] [40] [41]
[42] [43]
[44] [45] [46]
2022[47] [48] [49]
[50] [51] [52]
[53] [54] [55]
[56] [57] [58]
[59] [60] [61]
[62] [63] [64]
[65] [66] [67]
2023[68] [69] [70]
[71] [72] [73]
[74] [75] [76]
[77] [78] [79]
[80] [81] [82]
[83] [84] [85]
2024[86] [87] [88]
[89] [90] [91]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Shir Ziv (August 27, 2021). "'Olympic medal signifies my victory in battles fought on and off the mat,'" Israel HaYom.
  2. Web site: Association board meeting protocol 23 May 2023 . . 21 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230821211935/https://www.ija.org.il/html5/web/11009/40710ImageFile3.pdf . 21 August 2023 . 23 May 2023 . he.
  3. Web site: IJF World Ranking List . . 25 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220725105343/https://78884ca60822a34fb0e6-082b8fd5551e97bc65e327988b444396.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/up/2022/07/ijf_sen_wrl_2022_07_25-1658740-1658740870.pdf . 25 July 2022 . 49 . 25 July 2022.
  4. Web site: World Ranking List, Women –+78 kg . International Judo Federation . 25 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220725080909/https://www.ijf.org/wrl?category=14&view=expanded . 25 July 2022.
  5. Itamar Katzir (April 19, 2021). "Once Bullied for Her Weight, This Israeli Judoka Is Heading to the Olympics; Her path to the Games has been paved with hurdles, starting at adolescence and continuing with the choice of a tough weight category. Now Raz Hershko, aka 'Hershkules,' just won her first gold in a Grand Slam event," Haaretz.
  6. Jacob Gurvis (August 8, 2024). "All the Jewish Medalists at the 2024 Paris Olympics,"
  7. Web site: Olympic Rankings If The Record Number Of LGBTQ Athletes Were A Team Now: 7th In Gold Medals, 8th Overall. - Page 3 Of 6 . Towleroad Gay News. 2 August 2021 . 2021-08-02. en-US.
  8. Dan Bram (June 3, 2024). "Monica Sereda - More LGBT Athletes in the Olympic and Paralympic Games,", Daily Choices.
  9. Heather Cassell (June 14, 2023). "Out in the World: Breed meets with LGBTQ leaders in Israel," Bay Area Reporter.
  10. https://www.outsports.com/2021/7/12/22565574/tokyo-summer-olympics-lgbtq-gay-athletes-list/ "At least 186 out LGBTQ athletes at the Tokyo Summer Olympics, by far a record; There were more out LGBTQ athletes in Tokyo than all the previous Summer Olympics combined. Here’s the list,"
  11. Web site: 2015 European U18 Championships . International Judo Federation . 6 May 2021.
  12. Web site: 2015 European U18 Championships . JudoInside. 6 June 2021.
  13. Web site: 2015 European U18 Championships – Hershko Raz . ijf.org . 4 August 2021.
  14. Web site: 2015 European Youth Olympic Festival. International Judo Federation . 5 May 2021.
  15. Web site: 2015 European Youth Olympic Festival. JudoInside . 15 June 2021.
  16. Web site: 2017 European U23 Championships . . 15 June 2021.
  17. Web site: 2017 European U23 Championships. International Judo Federation . 5 May 2021.
  18. Web site: 2017 European U23 Championships . JudoInside . 6 June 2021.
  19. Web site: 2017 European U23 Championships . ijf.org . 9 August 2021.
  20. Web site: 2018 European U23 Championships . . 15 June 2021.
  21. Web site: 2018 European U23 Championships. International Judo Federation . 5 May 2021.
  22. Web site: 2018 European U23 Championships . JudoInside. 6 June 2021.
  23. Web site: 2018 European U23 Championships . ijf.org . 9 August 2021.
  24. Web site: 2020 Summer Olympics. International Judo Federation . 28 July 2021.
  25. Web site: 2020 Summer Olympics. ijf.org . 28 July 2021.
  26. Web site: 2020 Summer Olympics — Individual. JudoInside. 28 July 2021.
  27. Web site: Judo Hershko Raz — Tokyo 2020 Olympics . . 18 October 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211013092029/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/judo/athlete-profile-n1283119-hershko-raz.htm . 13 October 2021.
  28. Web site: 2021 Grand Slam Antalya — Results +78. International Judo Federation . 3 April 2021.
  29. Web site: 2021 Grand Slam Antalya . JudoInside . 6 June 2021.
  30. News: Lloyd. Owen. 19 February 2022. Dicko cements France's place at top of Tel Aviv Grand Slam medals table. InsideTheGames.biz. 20 February 2022.
  31. Nina Fox (April 28, 2024). "Raz Hershko dedicates gold medal to fallen IDF office; Israeli Judoka and new European champion devotes her victory to Lieutenant Yonatan Goutin, who was killed fighting against Hamas terrorists on October 7," Ynet.
  32. Web site: 2024-08-02 . Israel's Raz Hershko takes Women's Judo heavyweight silver medal at the Olympics . 2024-08-02 . The Jerusalem Post JPost.com . en.
  33. Web site: Raz Hershko. JudoInside. 3 April 2021.
  34. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/sports/article-814905 "Israel's silver Olympian Raz Hershko tells 'Post' of Paris success,"
  35. Web site: Israel's delegation to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games . . 26 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240626074302/https://wingate.org.il/משלחת-ישראל-למשחקים-האולימפיים-פריז-2024 . 26 June 2024 . he . 25 June 2024.
  36. Web site: Raz Hershko — Tournament results . International Judo Federation . 5 February 2024.
  37. Web site: 2019 Grand Prix Montreal. International Judo Federation . 3 April 2021.
  38. Web site: 2019 Grand Prix Montreal. JudoInside. 15 June 2021.
  39. Web site: 2021 Grand Slam Paris . International Judo Federation . 17 October 2021.
  40. Web site: 2021 Grand Slam Paris . JudoInside . 17 October 2021.
  41. Web site: 2021 Grand Slam Paris . ijf.org . 17 October 2021.
  42. Web site: 2021 Grand Slam Baku . International Judo Federation . 7 November 2021.
  43. Web site: 2021 Grand Slam Baku . live.ijf.org . 7 November 2021.
  44. Web site: 2021 Grand Slam Abu Dhabi . International Judo Federation . 28 November 2021.
  45. Web site: 2021 Grand Slam Abu Dhabi . JudoInside . 28 November 2021.
  46. Web site: 2021 Grand Slam Abu Dhabi . live.ijf.org . 28 November 2021.
  47. Web site: 2022 Grand Slam Tel Aviv . International Judo Federation . 19 February 2022.
  48. Web site: 2022 Grand Slam Tel Aviv . JudoInside . 19 February 2022.
  49. Web site: 2022 Grand Slam Tel Aviv . live.ijf.org . 19 February 2022.
  50. Web site: 2022 Grand Slam Antalya . International Judo Federation . 3 April 2022.
  51. Web site: 2022 Grand Slam Antalya . JudoInside.com . 3 April 2022.
  52. Web site: 2022 Grand Slam Antalya . live.ijf.org . 3 April 2022.
  53. Web site: 2022 European Championships. International Judo Federation . 1 May 2022.
  54. Web site: 2022 European Championships . JudoInside.com . 1 May 2022.
  55. Web site: 2022 European Championships . live.ijf.org . 1 May 2022.
  56. Web site: 2022 Grand Slam Ulaanbaatar . International Judo Federation . 26 June 2022.
  57. Web site: 2022 Grand Slam Ulaanbaatar . JudoInside.com . 26 June 2022.
  58. Web site: 2022 Grand Slam Ulaanbaatar . live.ijf.org . 26 June 2022.
  59. Web site: 2022 Grand Slam Budapest . International Judo Federation . 11 July 2022.
  60. Web site: 2022 Grand Slam Budapest . JudoInside.com . 11 July 2022.
  61. Web site: 2022 Grand Slam Budapest . live.ijf.org . 11 July 2022.
  62. Web site: 2022 Grand Prix Zagreb . International Judo Federation . 18 July 2022.
  63. Web site: 2022 Grand Prix Zagreb . JudoInside.com . 18 July 2022.
  64. Web site: 2022 Grand Prix Zagreb . live.ijf.org . 18 July 2022.
  65. Web site: 2022 World Masters . International Judo Federation . 27 December 2022.
  66. Web site: 2022 World Masters . JudoInside.com . 27 December 2022.
  67. Web site: 2022 World Masters . live.ijf.org . 27 December 2022.
  68. Web site: 2023 Grand Slam Tel Aviv . International Judo Federation . 18 February 2023.
  69. Web site: 2023 Grand Slam Tel Aviv . JudoInside.com . 18 February 2023.
  70. Web site: 2023 Grand Slam Tel Aviv . live.ijf.org . 18 February 2023.
  71. Web site: 2023 Grand Slam Tbilisi . International Judo Federation . 26 March 2023.
  72. Web site: 2023 Grand Slam Tbilisi . JudoInside.com . 26 March 2023.
  73. Web site: 2023 Grand Slam Tbilisi . live.ijf.org . 26 March 2023.
  74. Web site: World Judo Championships - Doha 2023 Individuals . International Judo Federation . 14 May 2023.
  75. Web site: /judo-matches?cId=79 --> World Championships Doha . JudoInside.com . 14 May 2023.
  76. Web site: World Judo Championships - Doha 2023 Individuals — Raz Hershko . Judo TV . 14 May 2023.
  77. Web site: 2023 Grand Slam Ulaanbaatar . International Judo Federation . 25 June 2023.
  78. Web site: 2023 Grand Slam Ulaanbaatar . JudoInside . 25 June 2023.
  79. Web site: 2023 Grand Slam Ulaanbaatar . Judo TV . 25 June 2023.
  80. Web site: 2023 European Championships. International Judo Federation . 6 November 2023.
  81. Web site: 2023 European Championships . JudoInside . 6 November 2023.
  82. Web site: 2023 European Championships . Judo TV . 6 November 2023.
  83. Web site: 2023 Grand Slam Tokyo . International Judo Federation . 3 December 2023.
  84. Web site: 2023 Grand Slam Tokyo . JudoInside . 3 December 2023.
  85. Web site: 2023 Grand Slam Tokyo . Judo TV . 3 December 2023.
  86. Web site: 2024 Grand Slam Paris . International Judo Federation . 5 February 2024.
  87. Web site: 2024 Grand Slam Paris . JudoInside . 5 February 2024.
  88. Web site: 2024 Grand Slam Paris . Judo TV . 5 February 2024.
  89. Web site: 2024 European Championships. International Judo Federation . 4 May 2024.
  90. Web site: 2024 European Championships . JudoInside . 4 May 2024.
  91. Web site: 2024 European Championships . Judo TV . 4 May 2024.

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