Gal Zukerman
Gal Zukerman גל צוקרמן | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 17, 2003 |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Known for | Olympic kite foiling |
Gal Zukerman (גל צוקרמן; born 17 Aug 2003) is an Israeli kite foiler.[1] She won the Youth Sailing World Championships in 2022. Zukerman is competing for Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the Women's Formula Kite in Marseille, France, between 4–8 August 2024.
Career
[edit]Zukerman was born in Israel and grew up near Haifa.
She began sailing at the age of five, and it was not until she was on holiday in Greece that Zukerman first got to try sailing with a kite. She had wanted to do this before, but her mother was concerned for her safety. The kite became important and back in Israel she took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel to practice her new sport.[2]
People advised Zukerman to try a hydrofoil, and eventually she joined a course in which she fell in love with being able to silently move through the water powered by a kite.[2] Kite foiling was selected in 2019 as a new sport for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[3]
In 2021 Zukerman competed at the Youth Sailing World Championships at Mussanah in Oman, and won.[4] She beat the Polish kitefoiler Julia Damasiewicz.[5] Zukerman said that because of political differences with Israel, none of the finalist's national anthems were played. Everyone was friendly towards her, but news of her victory was not published for a few days.[6]
In June 2022 the Dutch kitefoiler Annelous Lammerts won the Hempel World Cup Allianz Regatta at Lelystad in light winds, beating the Spaniard Gisela Pulido who took silver. Zukerman sparred with her fellow Israeli Maya Ashkenazi for the bronze position, and was successful.[7][8]
2024 Paris Olympics
[edit]She was one of nearly 90 athletes who were chosen to compete for Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics.[9]
Zukerman is competing for Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the Women's Formula Kite in Marseille, France, between 4–8 August 2024. [10]
References
[edit]- ^ "ZUKERMAN Gal". 2024 Summer Olympics. Archived from the original on 21 July 2024. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Gal Zukerman". Gin Kiteboarding. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ "World Siling Confirms Formula Kite in Paris 2024". Surfer Today. 2019.
- ^ "World Sailing - Gal Zukerman". World Sailing. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ "Sailwave results for 2021 Youth Sailing World Championships at Mussanah, Oman 2021". www.sailing.org. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ "Israeli kiteboarder who won gold medal in Oman says organizers hushed up her win". Times of Israel. 25 December 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ "Hempel World Cup Allianz Regatta 2022 manage2sail". www.manage2sail.com. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ "Hempel World Cup Series at the Allianz Regatta - Overall". www.sail-world.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ Manicad, Julius (10 July 2024). "Lofty goal: Israelis target strong Olympic performance". Daily Tribune. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ "Olympic Sailing Results," The Star Democrat.
External links
[edit]- Gal Zukerman at World Sailing
- Gal Zukerman at The-Sports.org
- Gal Zukerman on Instagram
