A double chapter was recorded yesterday (Saturday) in the history of Israeli sports, when for the first time an athlete in blue and white took to the podium in a competition held in Jakarta, Indonesia, dressed in the national uniform and with the country's flag flying next to his name, as was first published on the "Israel Hayom" website.
The one who did this was track cyclist Michael Yaakovlev, who won the bronze medal in the Keirin competition in the second round of the Nations Cup.
The gold medal was won by the bronze medalist from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Harry Lavriessen from the Netherlands, and the Malaysian Azizi Mong finished in second place.
Rotem Tana, who participated in the elimination race on Friday, finished in ninth place overall, while Japanese champion Aya Hashimoto won the gold.
To this day, the Muslim country, with which Israel has no diplomatic relations, flatly refused to allow the display of the symbols of the State of Israel, and only recently the shooter Sergey Richter canceled his participation in the World Cup because of this.
Olympic badminton player Misha Silberman also entered the 2015 World Championships in Indonesia at the last minute, but his game time and live tracking were not published.
The Israeli flag did not appear next to his name on the scoreboard, and he also played on a side field.
"It's just great here, they welcomed us with warmth and love," the team's coach, Steve McEwan, told Israel Hayom, "although they don't let us go out anywhere and we travel from the hotel to the velodrome and see the country through the bus, but the atmosphere is great and the facility is also great and fast." .
Indonesia through the bus, photo: Private
Indonesia through the bus, photo: Private
Weren't you afraid to come to the Muslim country?
"Absolutely not, we have great security and we get quick help with anything we need. Each of the guys is in the room most of the time, but everyone feels safe. We didn't get to talk to many people, but those who heard where we came from greeted us and wished us luck. Everyone is very here polite".
Yaakovlev got his first medal for the team, how does he feel about it?
"There was a double history, something very special for Israel. Until now it was a very problematic situation, but the federation, the Olympic Committee of Israel and the Ministry of Sports helped us get here and did not give up on us appearing with the Israeli flag for the first time.
"I am also satisfied with what Misha is doing, it is also special for him, the first medal he brought to Israel, after immigrating to Israel. He also had a successful European Championship, and I believe this will not be the last medal, he will bring many more medals to Israel."
Michael Yakovlev with the bronze in Indonesia.
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Will we see him at the Olympics in Paris?
"There are still some problems with his release. There is a year to achieve the criterion, and I believe that in the end everything will work out and he will represent Israel in the Olympics."
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