If you believe in karma, there is a situation where Avishag Samberg's bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics will not be her last Olympic medal.
There is only one athlete in Israel who has managed to win an Olympic medal - the sailor Gal Friedman, who won a bronze medal in Atlanta in 1996 and gold in Athens in 2004. Something in common, other than the bronze: they share the same date of birth.
"On September 16, I posted a birthday post, and then Gal wrote me congratulations, saying he had a birthday too," she smiles.
"I wrote him that it was a binding date. Maybe it's a sign that I'll be able to recreate his second win, in gold."
Among Gal's victories was one Olympics, Sydney 2000, in which he failed to meet the criteria.
"I hope not to emulate that ... I aim for gold in Paris. My goal in life is to be an Olympic champion. Once the goal was to be a medalist, but after I achieved that, I set myself a new goal - to be a champion."
How disappointed will you be if you do not?
"I live from training to training and think every day how to get better. Right now, the next big goal is the European Championship in Manchester, in May. Next year there is also a world championship, it was supposed to be held in China in April, but this week it was announced to move to another country because of the Corona. It is not yet clear where.
"I will come to Paris with the same approach I came with to Tokyo: to do the best job I can. If it is expressed in an Olympic medal - in the aspiration that it will be gold, thank you very much. If not - there is another Olympics later."
Los Angeles 2028?
"Yes. In 2028 I will be 27. Rukia Ildirim, the Turkey I fought against in the Olympics, she is 30 and this was her first Olympics. She reached her peak at the age of 30. There are plenty more like that."
• • •
It was the best year of Samberg's life (20).
Started in Tokyo, and went on to win gold medals at the World Cup in Montenegro and Bosnia.
"When you go up to the podium with the Israeli flag on your shoulder, you realize that everything revolves around representing Israel in the world. When you see the Israeli flag hoisted at the Olympics, it's exciting.
We meet on Friday afternoon at her mother's house in Gedera.
Samberg curls up in a sweatshirt on the couch, devoid of makeup and fashion.
She has already finished her daily training at the training complex in Ramla, and begins the weekend rest, after six days full of training, treatments and competitions.
"I usually have two or three workouts a day. The first is from 10 in the morning to 12 or one in the afternoon, followed by a gym or flexibility workout, and in the evening another workout. That way every day, a total of six to eight hours of workout a day. Of course also flights, etc. "
"My goal in life is to be an Olympic champion."
Samberg (left) against Turkey Rukia Ildirim in the battle for the bronze medal in Tokyo, Photo: IPI
She started her career in taekwondo at the age of 6, with coach Maoz Sharabi, the brother of her current coach, Yehiam Sharabi.
"I would go to a 40-minute class, once a week on Wednesdays, in Gedera. Maoz believed in me and promoted me from the first moment. Even before I even knew taekwondo, he said I had the right skills and physique, and that I was fast and fighting. He was the one who brought me to the club. "Sharabi Martial Arts," and when I was 8, he challenged me in battles with boys who were my height and weight. "
Samberg won the Israeli girls' championship three times, and won medals in international youth competitions.
She became the third Israeli to win a medal at the European Championships for seniors (after the late Anya Mirkin and Bat El Getter), when she returned with a gold medal from last year's competition in Sarajevo.
Then came Tokyo.
Samberg reached the Olympic competition as ranked 16th out of 17 competitors.
In the qualifiers, a competitor from Puerto Rico won, qualified for the quarterfinals, where they lost 29: 5 to the former world champion, from Thailand.
Samberg went on to the House of Consolation, where she defeated a Vietnamese competitor and qualified for the battle for the bronze.
In this battle she faced the third ranked, Rocky Yildirim from Turkey.
She led in the first two rounds, but during the third and final round Turkey took the lead.
In the last minute, Samberg recovered and won the battle with a score of 22:27.
Are you still reliving the battle against the Thai in your head? Tell yourself you could have won if you had done something different?
"Sure. I repeated the fight in my head countless times, and I know I did not bring my best performance. For me, I did not fight there. The pressure took over there, I froze.
"After the Olympics I tried to force myself to watch this fight, and I couldn't. I said to myself, 'Avishag, now sit and watch the fight,' but each time I just covered my eyes with my fingers so as not to see. I had very hard weeks. It does not feel right to me. Me, it's not close to what I know how to do.
"Now I'm already telling myself I have nothing to watch this fight. There was, it's over. I're released. I'm not whipping myself anymore, just learning how to get better, and that gives me motivation. I come to every training and remember what I do not want to happen again. So I need to train harder. "
Today it is already difficult for you to walk around the street?
"Yes, they approach me on the street, which is exciting. Today, for example, someone approached me and asked to be photographed with me. Even though I was thrown like that, with Nimrod's clothes (her partner; Shaz) and unorganized, I was photographed with her.
She thanked me very much, and it excites me insanely.
"I always agree to be photographed, even if I'm in a hurry, and I'm really excited about people telling me 'we saw your battle.' It's amazing to me. But the change is really only outward. ".
Has your win led to a revival in demand for the industry?
"Yeah, and I'm very happy about that. It's fun to feel like people suddenly know what taekwondo is. When I first came to my base and said I was in taekwondo, people did not know what it was. They thought it was like judo. Now everyone knows it's not the same thing.
"It's fun to see that there is a much larger amount of athletes, and there are a lot more kids and teens who invest and commit, because they see that you can go far in this industry. It's fun to feel inspired to do that. When you have that amount, you can already identify the kids who have potential."
Has your win also led to a change of state in relation to the industry? Invest more?
"If there is a change, I do not feel it. Maybe more equipment will come to us in the hall, I hope it will come, but at the moment it is not happening."
Did you receive the winning grant?
"Yes. The grant for the bronze medal is NIS 250,000, and a law is expected to be passed that this money is tax-exempt, which is really happy and cool."
Beyond the medal grant, as a member of the "Olympic Gold Staff" she receives support from the Olympic Committee.
"I have a physiotherapist, a nutritionist, a sports psychologist, a masseur, and training hours, the best staff there is. And I also receive assistance in financing competitions abroad and a monthly scholarship of NIS 8,500."
Following the win, Samberg was selected as the presenter of Tnuva (which became its main sponsor), of the computer services company Cloud Triple C, and of the perfume ALIEN GODDESS of the prestigious fashion house Mugler.
"Right now I save money, do not disperse. I live with Nimrod in Ramla, and I have living expenses. I do not shop."
• • •
Nimrod Kravitsky (23), Avishag's partner for the past two and a half years, has been training alongside her at the training complex in Ramla.
Last year he was European runner-up in taekwondo, and this year he did not meet the criteria for Tokyo and missed the Olympics.
Two months ago he picked up a gold medal at the World Cup in Montenegro.
"We're both in the same hall and see each other all the time," she says, "but he trains with the boys and I with the girls, and our agenda is very busy. If I need something and he's by my side, I can ask him. We talk a bit between training sessions, But mostly meet at the end of the day, in our apartment.
"To me, the fact that he's in the field contributes a lot to our connection, and also to our progress in sports. When I feed myself films in my head - for example, that I did not do well in training - he says to me: 'Avishag, I saw, you're imagining.' Certainly, he can teach me a better technique, and vice versa.
"But we have a rule that taekwondo does not enter our home, because it will be for hours on end, endlessly. At home we are a regular couple watching TV and talking nonsense."
Is there a competition between you?
"No. I wish him everything I wish for myself, and more. If he wins gold, it excites me just as much as I win."
Do you think he will be in Paris?
"Yes, I think we'll get there together and bring medals."
Is there talk of a wedding?
"It's still a long way off. In March we will celebrate three years together, but we are really young, and each of us has big ambitions. Starting a family is not something that can be done during a sports career. I hope it will come, but not yet mature to think about it."
"The connection contributes to our progress in sports."
With his partner Nimrod Kravitsky,
She attended high school in Gedera, but did not complete a full matriculation certificate.
"For years I was hardly in school. I did not go on annual trips and did not go to parties, because of the training and competitions. I had great teachers who helped me a lot, thanks to them I was able to finish 12 years of schooling."
In 2020, she enlisted in the IDF and served as a lieutenant colonel in the protection and engineering department at the Home Front Command base in Ramla, in the status of an outstanding female pilot.
Last November, she released, and marked the event, like many of her contemporaries, with the enlistment notebook cut - a photo that garnered more than 35,000 Instagram likes.
"I actually enjoyed being in the military," she smiles.
"Suddenly I had something in life that was not taekwondo. I did training in Camp 80 and knew friends, with whom I am in touch to this day. I did kitchen shifts and guards, and I survived it. I would finish the kitchen shifts outright, unable to move, just like everyone else."
How did you combine service and career?
"Release me for what I needed, consider me as much as possible. It was tough."
After the Olympics, did things change?
"Yes. After I returned to Israel, the chief of staff invited me to a meeting.
We met, and it was very exciting.
Suddenly a lot of suggestions for lectures in the army began to reach me.
I lectured to officers, gave sports lessons at bases, units invited me to sports days and gave me certificates of appreciation.
At the end of the service I also flew to the US through the Friends of the IDF organization to raise money for lone soldiers, and talked to lots of donors.
I really enjoyed this whole experience. "
"I made kitchens and guards."
In uniform,
• • •
Avishag is the eldest daughter of Oren (50), a lawyer, and Nili (47), who works at Clalit Health Fund.
Her parents divorced four years ago and live in Gedera ("I am already used to living in two houses").
She has two sisters - Naomi (17) and Yaara (13).
"Naomi volunteers in the Maccabi youth movement, and she is the most accommodating person you will meet," says Avishag. "We balance each other. "6 in the morning, before me! And training with the team."
As a big sister, have you ever had to use your fighting abilities in reality?
"Only when they really annoyed me," she laughs.
"I try not to hurt them, even though I can."
The number of Avishag followers on Instagram has skyrocketed since winning the medal.
By then she had 18,000 followers, and as of this week, there were already 253,000.
"The whole country killed me when I said I love Instagram, but what to do, I really like social media, they are something that makes me not think about sports. All day I'm in training, and then I go into tic-tac-toe and Instagram and see cool dances, foods that look Delicious and beautiful pictures, and then I feel like any normal young woman.
"I like to share with my followers the things I go through. Delicious food, the relationship with Nimrod, my dog, my sisters, competitions. I also like to be approached and flattered. For example, they write to me 'you improved your technique', or 'you are very fast' "It's fun. I try to answer everyone, but it's very difficult."
Do you feel like you've become a network star, like Gal Gvaram or Taylor Malchov?
"I do not feel like a network anchor, because if I have a bad day or a bad training, I will not share. I can also not upload anything for a few days, I do not feel committed to it. When I'm stressed before a competition, To me 'good luck', I will not post anything.I have no problem that someone who thinks I'm not interesting will stop following me, because it's not my job. I want to be an athlete.
"Beyond that, the content I upload is very different from that of network stars. I do not share how I put on makeup, for example. Most of the content I watch is winning medals and kicks I kick."
But like them, you are a model for girls and young women. They look at you and learn from you.
"True, and my biggest message is to believe in yourself, and to have an environment that will support you. Before the Olympics few believed in me. I was not marked by the Olympic Committee or the Taekwondo world, where they said 'we have medalists and world champions here, and that's a 19 year old girl. Next time she will be ready. '
"I did believe in myself. I went up to the arena that day and told myself I would finish it with a medal. After I lost and got to the consolation house, I said there is no way I do not take a medal. Only when you truly believe in yourself, from the heart - and it is work - only then favor".
"We balance each other."
With her sisters Yaara (center) and Naomi,
You also upload your photos in a swimsuit on Instagram. Why, actually?
"I can be in both taekwondo and swimsuit clothes, and I'm not ashamed of it. Most of the day I'm really in training clothes, but if I liked my picture in a swimsuit - why not upload it? Just because I'm an athlete? Any picture I like I upload. And I'm the only one. "I admire the page, no one touches me about it."
How important is appearance to you? Do you have things you do not like?
"There are things I do not like. Every person has the nonsense he gets stuck on, but overall I am happy with my appearance. Not complaining about anything."
How much do the injuries scare you?
"Thank God, meanwhile I came out pretty cheap. I had one concussion and broke my nose a few times, and my fingers also break quite regularly. But it's not something that disables me for a long time.
"I broke my nose for the last time in August 2019, and he was a little crooked even before the fracture. The doctor at the hospital told me he was not putting his nose back in place, but because I'm cute, he'll give it back to me. Now he's beautiful. I hope it was the last time.
How about the discourse around your posts? Did you also receive abusive comments?
"I hardly get ugly messages. Most paragons are heart-warming. Sometimes I read tobaccos, but I don't give them a place, because they will always find something to say. If I agree with myself, that's what matters. Overall I feel a lot of paragon."
Starting with you on social media?
"Starting, but I do not answer. I have no point in starting a conversation at all, because I am busy. Everyone knows I have a partner. Nimrod is big on my Instagram page."
Experienced sexual harassment?
"No. I am in a good and very supportive environment, I have my family and I tell my mother everything, so nothing can go wrong. I am vigilant on this issue also because of my sisters, who I check with and always make sure everything is fine with them."
Encountered chauvinistic reactions because you chose to pursue a career in martial arts?
"There are many who say that taekwondo is a boys 'sport, but it was said from a place of ignorance. Now, after my win, I hope they know more that it's everyone's sport. By the way, our girls' team is better than the boys, but the boys will beat us, .
Definately not.
"I remember how they talked about female athletes in judo, especially things that were said about Jordan Jerby, who received horrific nicknames. I've been a fan of Jordan for years, since she won in Rio. I saw 'Survival' because of her, to see how she behaves, and she was just "She is a person who inspires, and I am glad that we get to do the Tnuva campaign together. She gave me a lot of motivation."
You compete in the Olympics in the 49 kg category, and in competitions and world championships in the up to 53 kg category. How to maintain a balanced weight?
"I have a menu that makes me a dieter, so I do not eat what I want, but it is not a starvation diet or a weed diet. I lead a healthy lifestyle, and do not finish every day with a tray of pizza and ice cream. I eat a light pita with cottage in the morning, some Vegetables and fruit, at lunch chicken breast with vegetables and potatoes, and in the evening I can eat vegetables, cheese and eggs. I am sometimes allowed a row of chocolates. "Coming back from a goal competition with one of my parents, we stop at Shawarma, take a nap or two and come home."
Before competitions there are radical changes in diet?
"A week or two before a competition, I need to lose weight, but I'm not braiding or anything like that. It's not that I'm losing eight or ten pounds, I need a little weight loss.
In such a situation I do a strong workout and reach equilibrium without a problem.
"I do not let weight be a factor in my mood. If there are days when I feel that weight can affect me mentally and the competition is a bit distant, my nutritionist says there is no need to weigh. I know I will eventually reach the competition for the necessary weight."
Would you go to reality today?
"Right now no, I do not have time. I also do not watch a lot of TV, for the same reason. When I have time, I prefer to spend time at home with family and with Nimrod. I also like to go to the mall, especially with Nimrod, buy clothes, makeup and nonsense."
What are your plans for the day after? What will you do when you grow up?
"I would like to be like Arik Zeevi, to give lectures. I am interested in telling about my path, when it will end. Maybe I would like to learn something in the field of nutrition, because it is really part of my lifestyle, and I learn a lot about this field."
• • •
Last week, Avishag experienced another exciting moment when her good friend, 19-year-old Assaf Yasur, a severed taekwondo fighter, won gold at the World Paralympic Taekwondo Championships in Turkey.
"He's the most special kid I've ever met," she says.
"Anyone who knows him knows that if he had not won gold, it would have been strange. Assaf was insanely fast, strong in his legs, and much better of all, by a wide margin. I saw all his fights this morning, and he got better from fight to fight. I have never seen him give a performance like Which he gave this time.
"In the final he had a Turkish opponent, who came as a favorite for gold. It was a close battle and I was under pressure, in a frenzy. My mother and I screamed here at home. I'm happy for him. He really deserves it."
When did you meet?
"We met when he started training with us at the club, and three years ago we got very close. If I need something, I can contact him, we get in touch, and I come to visit him at his house in the Golan Heights."
Did you face him in battles?
"No life. He's too good. Even my coach told me not to do it."
Are you in touch with the Israeli athletes who competed in the Olympics?
"A little bit. Most of them train at Wingate, so I do not see them. I'm in touch with the Judas Geffen Primo and Inbar Lanir, who were not at the Olympics, and also with Anastasia Gurbanko, who was with me at the Youth Olympics. We shared a room there, and also in Tokyo. She is really an athlete. "I followed her last week at the World Short Course Championships, I'm most happy for her. She works so hard and she deserves it. I hope she makes history in Paris."
In Paris you will have to fight statistics - no Israeli athlete other than Gal Friedman has managed to recreate an Olympic medal. Maybe it's because success comes precisely when the athletes are still anonymous, and the weight of the expectations of an entire country is not on their shoulders.
"Maybe. The high expectations can affect me, but for that I have Yehiam, and I trust him. He will put me in proportions and know how to direct me to good thoughts and make me mess with what matters. He always tells me, 'There is no such thing as bad pressure.'
"Anonymity has pros and cons. When you do not know who you are, there is a thought of 'Buena, no one knows me', and then a thought creeps in like 'Wait, can this even happen? Maybe I'm unrealistic?'. On the other hand, when you sell , You're under pressure.
"To get to Paris I will have to be among the top 16 in the world, which means European champion or runner-up. It's very difficult, there are only four categories in taekwondo, and to win in Europe it's especially difficult. "I do not pretend to say I will make history, but these are my expectations of myself. I think I can."
shirshirziv@gmail.com
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