The Olympic qualifying period for judo ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Games begins Friday with the Mongolia Grand Slam. The prestigious event will feature 454 judokas from 58 countries, including 15 members of Israel’s national team.
Four Israeli judokas enter the new qualification cycle ranked inside the world top 10 in their weight classes. Raz Hershko, competing in the over 78 kg division, starts ranked No. 1 in the world and arrives after winning her second European title two months ago. Team captain Timna Nelson Levy, in the under 57 kg class, is ranked No. 2 and comes in after taking silver at the European Championships.
Itzhak Ashpiz, 18, is ranked No. 7 in the under 60 kg category after winning bronze at the European Championships. Yuli Alma Mishiner, 20, rounds out the top 10 in the over 78 kg class and has developed into a full-time senior international competitor after strong results in the cadet and junior ranks.
The Israeli lineup also includes Tamar Malka, Gefen Primo, Inbal Shemesh, Kerem Primo, Adelina Novitski, Maya Goshen, Yehonatan Albaz, Itay Bibitko, Raam Friedman Zilberstein, Roy Sivan and Yosif Simin. Inbar Lanir, who injured her shoulder at the European Championships, underwent surgery on Thursday night and will miss several months; the article says she will try to recover her world ranking and secure an Olympic ticket when she returns, as she did before Tokyo 2020.