It's unclear how much Tom Raubeni expected to find himself in this position. Whether he anticipated reaching the final race or even winning an Olympic medal remains uncertain, but from today, Tom Raubeni is an Olympic champion and gold medalist, and "Hatikvah" will resound on French soil.
Just after witnessing Sharon Kantor's silver medal win in the women's category, the sailor, who finished second overall in the qualifiers and had never won a medal in the senior circuit, approached the final race with great determination. He took a risk by breaking away from his Dutch and Australian rivals, a move that paid off as he reached the final buoys and the finish line first.
Perhaps it was fate. The coach of the men's team is Gal Fridman, Israel's first Olympic gold medalist, who won his medal twenty years ago. Now, another sailor joins his side.
This was Tom Raubeni's first race victory in Marseille, and it came just in time. After securing his place in the semi-final race, he stated that, in his view, he had reached fifth place and hadn't expected to sail as he did, but the first place came at just the right moment.
This marks Israel's fifth medal at the Paris Olympics, following the bronze of Peter Paltchik and the silver medals of Inbar Lanir, Raz Hershko, and Kantor.
