Yael Arad

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Women’s Judo
Olympic medal record
Silver	1992 Barcelona	Half Middleweight

Yael Arad (Hebrew: יעל ארד) (born May 1, 1967 in Tel Aviv) was the first Israeli to win an Olympic medal. She won the women's silver medal in Judo (under 61 kg) in the 1992 Summer Olympics. After winning her medal, she dedicated it to the victims of the 1972 Munich Massacre. A two-time Olympian, Arad put judo on the map in Israel, making it one of the most popular sports in the country.

Arad began studying judo at the age of eight, tagging along with her older brother to his lessons. In 1983, at the age of sixteen years, she was the runner-up in the 56-kg class in the German Open for Cadets. Although frustrated, because she thought she should have won the tournament, she believed she could become a world champion. To do this, however, she needed to go abroad for training, because in Israel, judo was an underdeveloped and underfinanced sport.

After her stint in the army, Arad found encouragement from past judo champions in Europe. She steadily improved her results and placed second in the German Open in 1988. The following year, she finished third at the European Championships. In 1990, Arad defeated the world No. 1 and No. 2 before losing in the finals and taking home the silver medal at a tournament in Germany.

Arad finished in second place at the 1993 World and European Championships, and placed fifth at the 1995 World Championships. On the eve of the 1996 Summer Olympics, Arad had been Israeli champion sixteen times and had competed in 49 international competitions, winning 24 medals; seven gold, eight silver, and nine bronze. In 1997, she was elected to the Israeli Olympic Committee as a sports representative. She is also a judo coach in Israel.