Thirty-eight days before the start of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Ynet on Tuesday learned that Kenyan-born Israeli long-distance runner Lonah Chemtai Salpeter will be one of Israel's two flag bearers at the games’ opening ceremony. Shooter Sergey Richter is the leading candidate to be the flag bearer among the men.
Salpeter, 35, won a prestigious bronze medal at the U.S. World Championships in 2022, and she finished fourth in the same competition in Budapest last year, just 21 seconds away from the bronze. She was among the leading four at the Tokyo Olympics until the very end but collapsed due to the intense heat.
Salpeter, who chose to focus on the marathon for the competition in Paris, is one of the best long-distance runners in the world. She has competed in relatively shorter distances since the World Championships in Budapest (15 km in the Netherlands, 10 km in Madrid), and only returned to run full marathon distances at the Tokyo marathon.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Olympic team, considered to be the highest-quality Olympic delegation in Israel's history, gathered on Tuesday for a final meeting at the Wingate Institute. Each athlete received the delegation’s official shirt, as well as equipment and sportswear.
"This is a significant milestone in Israel's journey to the Olympic Games, as the athletes come together before representing us on the world stage," Israel's Olympic Committee said in a statement.
Estimations in Israel say the athletes could bring home four to five medals and compete in 15 to 18 finals. The leading candidates to win include gymnast Artem Dolgopyat (floor exercise), windsurfer Sharon Kantor, and judokas Raz Hershko and Inbar Lanir.
The presence of Israeli athletes in the Olympic Village will be very limited amid security threats. According to Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar, the delegation’s security budget has increased by 50% due to the war, and Israel's representatives will arrive at the village only shortly before their competition, leaving immediately afterward.