Israeli Taekwondo Athletes Win Silver and Bronze in Poland World Cup

The Israeli national taekwondo team achieved success at a World Cup event in Poland, with Alexandra Dan securing a silver medal and Ariel Vigdor earning a bronze. Dan, competing in the under-49kg category, defeated opponents from Poland and China, including the recent World Championships bronze medalist, before advancing to the final. She reached the final after her scheduled opponent, the Turkish world champion, withdrew. In the championship match, Dan faced the Spanish athlete Adriana Cerezo Iglesias, the Tokyo Olympics silver medalist and a 2023 World Championships bronze medalist. Despite a close and competitive fight, Dan ultimately lost 2-0 in sets, taking home the silver medal.

Dan is set to continue her competition schedule next weekend at the Grand Prix in Paris, which features the top 32 athletes globally in her weight class. Meanwhile, Vigdor, competing in the under-53kg category, won her matches against opponents from Greece and Italy to reach the semifinals. She was defeated 2-0 by Busra Yildirim of Turkey, the under-21 World Championships runner-up, earning her the bronze medal.

Vigdor will proceed with the Israeli team to the next World Cup event in Tirana, Albania, scheduled for the same weekend as the Paris Grand Prix. Several other Israeli athletes also achieved strong results, with Tom Pashkovsky (under-54kg), Liam Cohen (under-54kg), and Tomer Barash (under-58kg) all finishing in fifth place. Yarden Niser (under-49kg) and Anya Nisenboim (under-67kg) placed ninth. Other Israeli participants included Ilia Ruderman (over-87kg), Lipaz Hagama (over-73kg), and Maya Schwartz (under-53kg). The team was accompanied by coaches Yechiam Sharabi and Roman Rossinov.