Tamar Steinberg Crowned World Champion in Windsurfing; Sharon Kantor Takes Silver

Tamar Steinberg was crowned the world champion in windsurfing in the iQFOiL class on Saturday, following the conclusion of the World Championships held in England. Steinberg secured the title in a dramatic final race against fellow Israeli Sharon Kantor, who finished second to win the silver medal. Daniela Peleg narrowly missed a complete Israeli podium, finishing fourth in the final.

Steinberg, 20, capped off an exceptional year by adding the world title to her European Championship win. She dominated the competition from the outset, finishing the preliminary rounds in first place with a significant lead, having won seven out of sixteen races. This ensured her direct entry into the final with a bonus point, meaning she only needed to win one race to clinch the championship.

The final race was closely contested. Steinberg, Kantor, and Peleg were initially leading together, but Peleg incurred a penalty, dropping her to fourth. Kantor led entering the final gates, with both her and Steinberg neck-and-neck. Ultimately, Steinberg surged ahead to cross the finish line first, securing her first world championship gold medal.

For Kantor, this silver medal marks her second world championship podium finish, following her gold in 2024. She previously represented Israel at the Paris Olympics, where she won a silver medal. Peleg's journey to fourth place was remarkable, having started the preliminaries in 32nd position and climbing to tenth to qualify for the medal races.

In the men's competition, Tom Reuveny, the Olympic champion, experienced a dramatic turn of events. After finishing sixth in the preliminaries and winning his quarter and semi-final races to secure a spot in the final, his semi-final race was voided due to a false start. In the subsequent race, Reuveny finished third and was eliminated. Yoav Omer was eliminated earlier in the quarter-finals.

Women's team coach Shahar Tzuberi praised the team's performance, highlighting their high level of preparation and the collective effort from the athletes and support staff. Reuveny expressed satisfaction with his performance throughout the week, despite the disappointing elimination, and is already looking ahead to next year's championship and securing Olympic qualification quotas for Israel.