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Yael Arad

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Yael Arad
Personal information
Native nameיעל ארד‎
Born (1967-05-01) 1 May 1967 (age 57)
Tel Aviv, Israel
Occupation(s)Chairperson, Olympic Committee of Israel
SpouseLior Kahane (m. 1995)
Websitewww.yaelarad.co.il Edit this at Wikidata
Sport
CountryIsrael
SportJudo
Weight class‍–‍61 kg
Rank     Black belt
Achievements and titles
Olympic GamesSilver (1992)
World Champ.Silver (1993)
European Champ.Gold (1993)
Medal record
Women's judo
Representing  Israel
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1992 Barcelona ‍–‍61 kg
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 1993 Hamilton ‍–‍61 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Barcelona ‍–‍61 kg
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1993 Athens ‍–‍61 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1989 Helsinki ‍–‍61 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Prague ‍–‍61 kg
Profile at external databases
IJF53329
JudoInside.com2756
Updated on 5 June 2023

Yael Arad (Hebrew: יעל ארד; born 1 May 1967) is an Israeli judoka.[1] She was the first Israeli to win an Olympic medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona in 1992.[2] She is widely recognized as one of Israel's most successful athletes and is credited with bringing judo into the athletic mainstream.

After her retirement, Arad developed a career as a businesswoman and CEO. She specializes in entrepreneurship, business development and marketing strategy. She manages the commercial rights of ViacomCBS in Israel. Arad advises companies in various sectors and lectures on excellence in sports, life and business.In 2023, Arad became a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).[3]

Biography

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Arad, who is Jewish,[4] was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, to Aryeh Arad, a journalist in Davar, Galei Tzahal & Kol Yisrael, and Nurit Arad, a journalist in Yedioth Ahronoth reporting in the field of consumerism. She holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Reichman University.

International judo career

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Barcelona Olympic Medalists Oren Smadja and Yael Arad pose with the Deputy Education Minister, M.K. Micha Goldman.

Arad started taking judo classes at the age of eight and within half a year, ranked second in Israel in her weight class.[5] She later trained with the coach of the men's judo team.[6] She won her first international title in 1984 at the age of 17, competing as a middleweight.[6] She came in 7th in the 1984 World Judo Championships in Vienna.[7][8] She won bronze medals in the European Championships of 1989 and 1991.[9][10] To hone her skills, she underwent training in Japan.[6]

Arad was the first Israeli athlete to win an Olympic medal when she competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. She won the silver medal in the half middleweight competition.[11][12][13] She lost to Catherine Fleury of France. Arad dedicated the medal to the victims of the 1972 Munich Massacre.

In May 1993, Arad won a gold medal in the 1993 European championships.[14] In the world championships that year, she lost in the finals to Gella Vandecaveye of Belgium, taking home a silver medal.[15][16][17]

Arad was chosen to light the torch at the 1993 Maccabiah Games.[18] She finished in fifth place at the 1995 World Championships.[19][20]

At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Arad lost to Jung Sung-Sook of Korea, competing for the bronze.[21][22][5] She went into the fight sick with a virus and ended up in fifth place.[23]

Arad served as judo coach for Israel in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and coached Israeli judoka Olympian Orit Bar-On.[24]

Retirement

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After retiring from the sport, Arad continued with judo as a coach and sports entrepreneur. Today she holds a key management position in a children's product company and serves as a TV commentator at judo competitions.

Olympic Movement

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Since 2012, Arad is a member of the Marketing Commission[25] and the Digital & Technology Commission[26] at the International Olympic Committee. In 2013, she became a board member of the Olympic Committee of Israel and Chairwomen of its Sports Commission. In 2021, she was appointed to President of the Olympic Committee of Israel making her the first woman and first Olympic medalist to hold the position.[27] She became a member of the International Olympic Committee in 2023.[28]

Personal life

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Arad was married to Lior Kahane (son of Israeli basketball coach Rani Kahane) and she has two children.

Her book

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Arad's autobiography called First (Rishona in Hebrew) was released in 2018.[29]

Awards and honors

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Arad has won 24 medals during her sporting career in Level A tournaments, including 7 gold medals, 8 silver medals and 9 bronze medals.

In 2004, Arad was chosen to be one of the torchbearers at the Torch-lighting Ceremony (Israel) on Mount Herzl.

In 2018, Arad was awarded the title to "The Athlete of 70'" from the Ministry of Culture and Sport (Israel), marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of Israel.[30]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Yael Arad". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 4 December 2016.
  2. ^ "Yael Arad – biography". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
  3. ^ "Israeli Judoka Yael Arad Joins International Olympic Committee". Haaretz. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  4. ^ Paul Taylor (2004). Jews and the Olympic Games: The Clash Between Sport and Politics : with a Complete Review of Jewish Olympic Medallists. Sussex Academic Press. p. 223. ISBN 9781903900871. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Medal is lost, but mourning ends for Israel". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 7 January 2011.[dead link]
  6. ^ a b c Arfa, Orit (29 June 2010). "Sporting heroes for 60 years". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
  7. ^ "1984 World Championships". International Judo Federation. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  8. ^ "1984 World Championships". JudoInside.com. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  9. ^ "1989 European Championships". JudoInside.com. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  10. ^ "1991 European Championships". JudoInside.com. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  11. ^ "1992 Summer Olympics". International Judo Federation. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  12. ^ "1992 Summer Olympics". JudoInside.com. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  13. ^ "Israel Speakers Center, Yael Arad". Hamartzim.co.il. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
  14. ^ "1993 European Championships". JudoInside.com. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  15. ^ "1993 World Championships". International Judo Federation. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  16. ^ "1993 World Championships". JudoInside.com. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  17. ^ "Sport: Yishuv to the Present". jwa.org. Archived from the original on 25 November 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  18. ^ "Maccabiah 18". www.maccabiah.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
  19. ^ "1995 World Championships". JudoInside.com. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  20. ^ "1995 World Championships". The-Sports.org. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  21. ^ "1996 Summer Olympics". International Judo Federation. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  22. ^ "1996 Summer Olympics". JudoInside.com. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  23. ^ "Yael and Oren are still heroes". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
  24. ^ "JudoInside - Orit Bar-On Judoka". www.judoinside.com.
  25. ^ "Marketing Commission". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 21 January 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  26. ^ "Digital & Technology Commission". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 23 November 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  27. ^ Winer, Stuart (7 November 2021). "First Israeli medalist Yael Arad to head Olympic Committee". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021.
  28. ^ Rakovsky, Ido (17 October 2023). "Israeli Judoka Yael Arad Joins International Olympic Committee". Haaretz. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  29. ^ "First - Yael Arad". ybook.co.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  30. ^ "The biggest there are". Israel Hayom (in Hebrew). 24 December 2018. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2022.

Further reading

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