Hershko wins European gold, makes Israeli judo history

Israeli judoka Raz Hershko won the European gold medal on Sunday in Tbilisi, Georgia, defeating France’s Lea Fontaine with a decisive ippon just 52 seconds into the final.

Hershko, who competes in the women’s over-78-kilogram (about 172-pound) category, reached the final after defeating Croatia’s Helena Vukovic in the semifinals. It marks the fifth consecutive year that she has secured a medal at the European Championships – winning gold in 2024 and silver in 2022, 2023, and 2025.

With this latest victory, Hershko joins an elite group of Israeli judokas – alongside Arik Ze’evi and Sagi Muki – who have won more than one European championship title.

Hershko’s chances of winning the gold improved dramatically after her main competitor, the French judoka Romane Dicko, lost in the quarterfinals. 

Meanwhile, the Israeli judoka Timna Nelson-Levy won a silver medal in the women's under-57 kilogram (about 126-pound) category after losing in the final to the Georgian athlete Eteri Liparteliani. In addition, the 18-year-old Israeli judoka Izhak Ashpiz secured a bronze medal in the under-60-kilogram (about 132-pound) male category.

2024 was a particularly strong year for Hershko. In April 2024, she made history by becoming the first female Israeli judoka to win gold at the European Championships, held that year in Croatia. 

“I am very happy to have won the title. It’s another step towards the Olympic Games,” Hershko said after her first European gold medal two years ago. However, she made it clear after her European championship victory that she was already eyeing the Summer Olympic Games, which were held in Paris the same year. 

“I am going to further work on my weak points in preparation for the Olympics,” she revealed. “I feel a great responsibility and a great pride in wearing the colors of my country,” she added.

A few months later, in August, Hershko won a silver medal in the Olympics after losing to Brazilian judoka Beatriz Souza in the final. Despite the respectable Olympic silver medal, she did not hide her disappointment at not winning gold. 

“It’s a bummer it wasn’t an Olympic gold, that was the goal,” Hershko admitted in an interview with the Israeli Sport 5 channel after the game. “I’m not sure what I’m crying over more, that I lost or that I have a medal."

“I so wanted the gold, I felt like it was my day, like I was there, that I was sharp, that I could make history in judo,” Hersko assessed, adding that she felt “a small sense of missing out… but I’m happy.”

Hershko was not the only Israeli judoka to win a medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Peter Paltchik won a bronze medal in the male under 100-kilogram (about 22-pound) abjudo category. Paltchik dedicated his medal to his family and his coach’s son, Omer, a reservist IDF soldier who was killed in Gaza. 

“I dedicate this to my entire family; I want them to have a hero who fought for everyone. This is for Omer, Oren’s son who was killed in battle,” he said.

Inbar Lanir also won another silver medal for Israel at the Olympics in Paris.