Israeli Women Dominate World Windsurfing Championships with Gold and Silver

Israeli windsurfers achieved a historic success at the iQFoil World Championships held in the UK on Saturday, September 12. Tamar Steinberg secured the gold medal, while Sharon Kantor claimed the silver. Daniela Peleg finished fourth in the same decisive race.

Steinberg, 20, who is the reigning world vice-champion and recently crowned European champion, led the competition for most of the tournament. She won four of the initial races and achieved seven victories in the 16 preliminary heats, maintaining a significant lead. A bonus point in the final race meant Steinberg only needed one win to clinch the title, which she achieved despite strong competition from Kantor.

"I felt Kantor throughout the entire race. She started better, and we battled until the finish. I am very happy for her, she is my teammate. We have an incredibly strong team. This final was like the Israeli championship, only Stella, who won bronze, was added," Steinberg stated after her victory, expressing her long-held ambition for the title and noting the unpredictability of medal races. She also mentioned that 2026 is shaping up to be a great year for her.

Kantor, the 2024 world champion and 2024 Paris Olympics silver medalist, had a different trajectory in the tournament. She started in 16th place but steadily climbed to eighth, then third, and ultimately second overall. She finished in the top ten in 11 of the 16 preliminary races.

Another Israeli competitor, Shahar Tibi, the European Championship silver medalist, finished the preliminary stage in seventh place. She was last in her quarterfinal race and ended the championship in tenth place overall.

In the men's competition, Paris Olympic champion Tom Reuveni finished the preliminary stage in sixth place. He won his quarterfinal and then finished first in his semifinal, initially qualifying him for the final race. However, organizers identified an issue with the semifinal and ordered a restart. Reuveni finished third in the rerun and did not advance to the final, ending the championship in fifth place. Yoav Omer, who was in eighth place, was third in his quarterfinal and was eliminated.