Israeli women dominate European windsurfing championships

Israel’s women’s windsurfing team delivered a dominant performance at the European Championships in Portugal this week, with Tamar Steinberg winning gold and teammate Shahar Tibi taking silver in another major achievement for one of the country’s strongest Olympic sports programs.

The competition, held in the Portuguese city of Portimão from May 16-23, also saw Israeli athlete Daniela Peleg narrowly miss the podium with a fourth-place finish behind Spain’s Pilar Lamadrid. On the men’s side, Tom Reuveny and Yoav Omer finished fourth and fifth respectively.

The results reinforced Israel’s emergence as a major force in international windsurfing following Reuveny’s gold medal at the Paris Olympics in 2024 and a string of recent podium finishes by Israeli sailors on the world stage.

For 19-year-old Steinberg, the victory marked her second gold medal of the season after winning the World Cup event in Hyeres, France, in April.

At a post-competition press conference she said that "I am happy to win the competition. Over the past few months, I felt that I was in good shape. I wanted to come to the competition and make that happen."

"Until now, I had been a world championship runner-up, and I already wanted to win a major target competition. I was concentrated and focused. I knew I needed to give it my all. I did not have my best abilities on the water today, but it happened because I felt I needed to do it," Steinberg continued.

She went on to say that she felt she had "to be the best during this period, because while others are fighting for the country as soldiers, I am an outstanding athlete," adding that "Shahar Tibi finished second and showed great ability. The boys also competed well. We have a great women’s and men’s team."

Steinberg said her long-term focus is already centered on the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

"Clearly, the goal is (the Olympic Games is) Los Angeles 28. We are four great girls. Each one is a favorite. My goal is to be good all the time. I always want to be at the top. My goal is to arrive in Los Angeles as a clear and natural candidate for the gold medal."

Despite her rapid rise, Steinberg said competition within Israel’s national team remains intense.

"I am already in my fourth year in the senior ranks, even though I am still not 20, so I feel experienced. We are at a high level and have a lot of power in the team. There will be tough competition for the ticket to the Olympic Games. I continue to work through the national team and believe things will work out in my favor."

National team coach Shahar Zubari added in his own comments to the press that "Tamar was goal-oriented and committed to the process. She wants to get to Los Angeles focused on a medal, and all the target competitions along the way are very important. She did things in an impressive way. Tamar makes things look easy, but she works very hard. It is great that Shahar Tibi is second in Europe and Daniela Peleg finished fourth among the Europeans and sixth overall. We have a committed team and an excellent association behind us."

"We have the best team in the world. The new windsurfing model has already been around for four years, and the Chinese have entered it strongly. We need to continue working hard. I see Tamar’s investment. This achievement did not come out of nowhere. These moments make all the investment by the association worth it," Sailing Association chairman Shai Buber added.

The Israeli team’s dominant performance was especially notable because many athletes and coaches complained throughout the competition about difficult meteorological conditions at the venue, including inconsistent wind and tides that made sailing both a mental and physical challenge.

At the Paris Olympics in 2024, Reuveny won the gold medal, becoming the fourth Israeli athlete to capture Olympic gold after windsurfer Gal Friedman at the Athens Games in 2004, and gymnasts Artem Dolgopyat and Linoy Ashram at the Tokyo Games in 2020.

Israel has sent teams to the Summer Olympics since 1952 and has sent athletes to the Winter Olympics since 1994. Israeli athletes have won 20 Olympic medals, including seven at the 2024 Paris Games, the country’s best Olympic performance ever.