Israel's U16 Water Polo Team Secures Dramatic Win Over Ukraine at World Championship

Israel's under-16 water polo team achieved a dramatic 12-11 victory against Ukraine at the World Championship held in Croatia on August 4, 2026. This marked Israel's first win in the tournament after a previous loss to Brazil. The match was tightly contested, with Israel leading 3-2 after the first quarter and the teams tied at 6-6 and 9-9 at halftime and after the third quarter, respectively. Ukraine briefly took an 11-10 lead, but Israel rallied in the final minute, with Aviv Gadron scoring the decisive goal.

Coach Rotem Zuckerman expressed relief and optimism after the win, highlighting the challenging draw against top teams and the team's resilience. Key contributors included Yehali Winberg, who scored three goals, along with Michael Ben Eliyahu, Aviv Gadron, Yonatan Paz, Kfir Shusterman, Yoav Berger, Daniel Cohen, Omri Danal, and Alon Nur Sela, each scoring once.

Israel's next match is scheduled against the strong Dutch team. Meanwhile, the Israeli women's under-20 water polo team suffered their fourth consecutive loss at the European Championship in Portugal, falling 22-8 to Russia. Top scorers for Israel were Teva Dorfman and Mia Tirosh with three goals each, and Carmel Rahum and Gili Bornstein with one goal each. The women's team will face the loser of the France-Britain match in the classification rounds tomorrow.