The Paris 2024 Olympics presented a day of highs and lows for the Israeli athletes, encapsulating the essence of competitive sports.
The Under-23 Israel Olympic Soccer Team faced a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat to Japan, with a last-minute goal by Mao Hosoya leading to their elimination from the tournament.
“I am very disappointed,” expressed head coach Guy Luzon. “When the score was 0-0, we were close to scoring a goal. However, I would have been even more disappointed had we not done everything we could to succeed. The guys wanted to score throughout the tournament and defend to the best of their abilities. They did their best.”
Luzon continued, “We played against the Asian champions in Japan, Mali, and Paraguay, three fantastic opponents. If they finished ahead of us, they probably deserved it. I’m very proud of the guys and our journey to the Games. Japan is one of the best teams in the world for players under 23.”
“They are dynamic, organized, and physical, everything one would want and expect from a soccer team. We were equivalent to them at times, but unfortunately, the better team won. The goal they scored was because we gambled and wanted to go for the victory. It may be that if we hadn’t gambled, it would have ended in a draw, but it doesn’t matter at this point.”
Despite the loss, Luzon emphasized the pride and effort of his team. “We did everything we could to make the people of our nation happy, even though we didn’t get the results.”
“They’re proud of us, and I’m proud of them. It’s the saddest thing in the world to depart a tournament like this because we’re leaving what is, in fact, a dream; we’ve been in a dream for the past two weeks.”
Reflecting on the game, star player Oscar Gloukh said, “We appreciate every moment we were here, and that’s how we will now continue. We started well, and after that, we relaxed a bit, and they dominated. In the second half, we had to take advantage of the situation, and if we did, we would have won.”
“We are worth more than the one point we collected in the three games and in every single match we were there, we were in it. Now, everyone will go their own way. I had the most fun in the world, thanks to the team and the players.”
Israel Football Association Chairman Moshe Zuarets commended the team, saying, “After 48 years, we participated in the Olympics thanks to all of you. Be proud of what you have done for Israeli soccer.”
“Each and every one of you—players, the professional team, everyone—have been part of such a wonderful journey. You are the future of Israeli soccer, and you will make a better future for all of us. I’m proud of you, and you should be proud of yourselves.”
In swimming, the Israel Men’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay Team, comprising Denis Loktev, Bar Soloveychik, Tomer Frankel, and Gal Cohen Groumi, made history by featuring in the final of the event for the first time.
They finished 9th with a time of 7:10.22, 10.79 seconds behind the winners, Great Britain. Earlier, Denis Loktev, Bar Soloveychik, Eitan Ben Shitrit, and Gal Cohen Groumi finished 5th in their semifinal heat and 8th overall, tying with Japan with a time of 7:08.43 to advance to the finals.
Shachar Sagiv represented Israel in the Triathlon, which had been postponed due to pollution in the River Seine. The extra day did not help, as he finished 37th out of 50 participants with a time of 1:49:32.
In Tahiti, Anat Lelior’s third-round Women’s Surfing matchup against Australia’s Tyler Wright, a two-time world champion, is eagerly anticipated. Their race is slated to take place in the middle of the night in Israel.
On the Judo mat, Maya Goshen won her first bout in the 70kg category over Fidel Ogel of Turkey but then lost to Marie Eve Gahie of France in the Round of 16. Potential medal chances Peter Paltchik and Inbar Lanir will compete on Thursday morning.
In Badminton, Misha Zilberman defeated Prince Dahal of Nepal 21-10 in his final group stage game but didn’t advance.
David Gerchik finished 22nd in the men’s 200m Backstroke with a time of 1:58.79, failing to advance to the semifinals.
Thursday will be busy for Israel, with competitors in five events. Mikaella Moshe finished 18th in the Women’s Individual Ranking Round in Archery but lost 7-1 to Romania’s Madalina Amaistroaie in the 1/32 Elimination Round.
Roy Dror will compete in the Men’s side. Windsurfers Sharon Kantor and Tom Reuveny were kept on shore by inclement weather in Marseille, with the competition continuing tomorrow.