Israeli Kite Foil Surfer Mia Ashkenazi Wins Bronze at Grand Slam Sardinia
Translated & summarized from Davar by baba
Israeli kite foil surfer Mia Ashkenazi won a bronze medal at the Grand Slam Sardinia competition in Italy. This is her first senior medal and comes after a challenging final day with strong winds. In the men's competition, Zohar Charuvi finished seventh overall after reaching the semi-finals. The event is a key preparation for the 2027 World Championships, which will offer qualification for the 2028 Olympics.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Mia Ashkenazi won a bronze medal at the Grand Slam Sardinia kite foil competition in Italy.
- This is Ashkenazi's first medal in a senior competition.
- Top international surfers, including world champion Lauriane Nolot, competed.
- Zohar Charuvi finished seventh overall in the men's competition.
- The event is preparation for the 2027 World Championships and 2028 Olympic qualifiers.
Israeli kite foil surfer Mia Ashkenazi secured a bronze medal at the Grand Slam Sardinia competition in Italy on Sunday. This marks Ashkenazi's first medal in a senior competition. The event featured top international talent, including former world champion and Olympic silver medalist Lauriane Nolot of France and 2023 World Championship bronze medalist Lily Young of Great Britain.
The final day began with strong winds of 17-25 knots, making conditions challenging. In the semi-finals, Ashkenazi competed against Young and Switzerland's Elena Langwiler, whom she had finished ahead of in the preliminaries. Despite the tough conditions, Ashkenazi delivered a strong performance, winning her heat and advancing to the final.
The final race saw Ashkenazi facing Nolot and another French surfer, Lisa Quell, who had secured direct entry to the final with bonus wins in the preliminaries. Ashkenazi demonstrated excellent skill in the final heat, battling Quell for second place throughout the race. She ultimately finished behind Nolot, who won the race and the overall competition. Although Ashkenazi finished ahead of Quell in the final heat, Quell secured the silver medal due to her preliminary bonus win, leaving Ashkenazi with the bronze.
In the men's competition, Zohar Charuvi qualified for the quarterfinals after consistently placing in the top ten in his heats. He provided a memorable moment by recovering from a fall during a heat to win it and advance to the semi-finals. However, facing stronger competition in the semi-finals, Charuvi finished fifth in his heat and ultimately ranked seventh overall.
This bronze medal comes five months after Ashkenazi's 14th-place finish at the World Championships in Portugal. It also serves as preparation for the 2027 World Championships in Brazil, which will be the first event to award qualification spots for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Notably, Israeli representatives have not participated in recent European Championships in this discipline held in Turkey due to security considerations.
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