Judoka Raz Hershko won on Friday the silver medal in the over 78 kg category after losing to Brazilian Beatriz Souza in the final. Souza secured victory with a waza-ari score that Hershko was unable to overcome.
Raz Hershko's silver medal is Israel's 16th in Olympic history (three gold, three silver, and ten bronze). Nine of Israel's Olympic medals have come in judo (three silver and six bronze), with Hershko matching the highest achievement by an Israeli judoka, previously set by Yael Arad in Barcelona 1992 and Inbar Lanir yesterday. Notably, this is the first time Israel has won three judo medals in a single Olympics, surpassing the two-medal hauls from Barcelona 1992 and Rio 2016.
Ranked 2nd in the world and one of the delegation's top medal hopes, Raz Hershko lost in the final to Brazil's Beatriz Souza, who secured victory with a waza-ari. Souza, 26, who is significantly larger than Hershko, also stunned in the semifinals by defeating France's Romain Dico, the clear gold favorite at the start of the day. Souza has never lost to Hershko, holding a 5-0 record in their matches.
Hershko will receive her medal from Yael Arad, the first Israeli Olympic medalist and chair of the Israeli Olympic Committee. Arad had specifically requested to present the medals on this day, as she believed it would give her the opportunity to award a medal to an Israeli athlete, according to the Olympic Committee's announcement.
In the semifinals, Hershko defeated Turkey's 36-year-old Ozdemir, ranked 3rd in the world, who had shocked Olympic champion Akira Sone in the quarterfinals. Hershko won with an ippon in just 14 seconds, marking her fourth victory over Ozdemir in their last five encounters.