Israel won its second gold medal at the International Judo Federation Grand Slam in Abu Dhabi on Monday, as judoka Peter Paltchik bested Azerbaijani rival Elmar Gasimov to win the under-100 kilogram category.
This was the second gold medal won by an Israeli judoka in the UAE-hosted tournament following Sunday's win by Sagi Muki, who took the gold in the under-81 kilogram category.
During Monday's medal ceremony, Israel's national anthem, "Hatikva," was played in the arena for the second time is so many days.
Paltchik, 26, was born in Ukraine and moved to Israel when he was 9 months old. He won his first gold medal at the "Grand Prix Cancun" in June 2017, which was followed by a bronze in the 2018 European Judo Championships in Tel Aviv in April.
"This is my first Grand Slam medal and it's very exciting," Paltchik told reporters after his win. "It's a great honor to know 'Hatikva' is playing here, in Abu Dhabi. Israel, I love you!"
Israel has won five medals in the UAE tournament, as Paltchik and Muki's golden victories joined teammates Gili Cohen, Baruch Shamilov and Timna Nelson-Levy, who each won a bronze medal on Saturday in their categories: Cohen defeated Portugal's Joana Ramos in the 52-kilogram class, Shmailov won against Russia's Yakub Shamilov in the 66-kilogram class, and Nelson-Levy bested China's Chen-Ling Lien in the 57-kilogram weight class.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Paltchik on Monday, saying, "Hearing 'Hatikva' play there [in Abu Dhabi] for the second time nearly brought tears to my eyes. You and the rest of the team have made it rain medals."
Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev, who accompanied the team to Abu Dhabi, said, "The Israeli team's historic journey to Abu Dhabi has ended in the best way possible, with Peter winning its second gold medal and the Israeli flag flying in the arena as 'Hatikva' plays on Abu Dhabi soil.
"The team won five medals, two gold and three bronze medals, and they [the athletes] proved a great fighting spirit," she said.
Yesh Atid MK Yoel Razvozov, who chairs the Knesset's sports lobby, said, "When the Israeli team wins two gold medals and the crowd in Abu Dhabi hears 'Hatikva' playing day after day – that's a huge victory for Israeli judo and for the State of Israel in general. Peter deserves every accolade, he has made us very, very proud."
