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Winning Silver In Tel Aviv, Iranian Judoka ‘will Never Forget Israeli Kindness’ by ttbaba(m): 9:24pm On Feb 19, 2021 |
Iranian-born Mongolian judoka Saeid Mollaei poses with th
silver medal after the finals of the men’s under 81kg categ
of Tel Aviv Grand Slam 2021 in Tel Aviv, on February 19, 20
(JACK GUEZ / AFP)
In a historic achievement, Iranian dissident
judoka Saeid Mollaei won a silver medal Friday
at the Grand Slam international judo competition
held in Tel Aviv.
Mollaei took second place in the under-81kg
category after losing to Uzbekistan’s Sahrofiddin
Boltaboev.
The Iranian competed under the Mongolian flag
after becoming a citizen of the Asian nation.
He fled his home country after being forced to
lose a match on purpose to avoid facing Israel’s
Sagi Muki in 2019.
Iranian-born Mongolian judoka Saeid Mollaei competes during
the finals of the men’s under 81kg category of Tel Aviv Grand
Slam 2021 in Tel Aviv, on February 19, 2021. (JACK GUEZ /
AFP)
Ahead of his second-place finish, Mollaei said
Israel had been “very good to me since I
arrived,” CNN reported Friday, citing comments
conveyed by the International Judo Federation.
Iranian-born Mongolian judoka Saeid Mollaei (white) competes
against Uzbekistan’s Sharofiddin Boltaboev during the finals of
the men’s under 81kg category of Tel Aviv Grand Slam 2021 in
the city of Tel Aviv, on February 19, 2021. (JACK GUEZ / AFP)
He said the Israeli judo team “have been very
kind. That is something I will never forget.”
He told Israel’s Kan TV : “I’m competing only for
Mongolia. I no longer compete for Iran. That part
is over for me… I’ve always been a sportsman.
I’ve never engaged in politics.”
In this brief clip from the competition venue, he
says Todah,” thank you, in Hebrew:
Meanwhile Muki, a world champion, was
surprisingly ejected from the competition in the
first round on Friday morning.
According to Channel 12, Mollaei told Muki after
the competition was over: “Maybe we’ll meet in
the finals of the Olympics.”
Another notable achievement Friday was by
Israeli Tohar Butbutl, who won the bronze in the
men’s under-73kg category.
Israel’s Tohar Batbul (white) competes against Romania’s
Alceandru Raicu in the men’s under 73kg category of Tel Aviv
Grand Slam 2021 in the city of Tel Aviv, on February 19, 2021.
(JACK GUEZ / AFP)
Thursday saw several achievements for female
Israeli athletes, with Timna Nelson Levy winning
a gold medal while Gili Cohen took silver.
“It’s fun to win here in the country, it’s just too
bad there isn’t a crowd, because our crowd is the
best in the world,” Nelson Levy said after
winning gold, thanking the Israel Judo
Association for “managing to hold one hell of an
event” amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Israeli world champion judoka Sagi Muki, right, and Iranian
champion Saeid Mollaei embrace at the Paris Grand Slam,
February 10, 2020, in an Instagram photo posted online by
Muki. (Instagram screen capture)
Cohen also managed to reach the finals in the
under-52 kilogram weight class but was beaten
by Brit Chelsie Giles.
Some 600 athletes from all over the world arrived
in Israel to participate in the contest. The
seemingly rule-bending event sparked
controversy among Israeli health officials as well
as among travelers angered by the airport closure
for nearly all other cases.
Organizers said it had been impossible to cancel
the tournament after Israel committed to hosting
it.
Competitors underwent virus tests and remained
in closed pods and isolated during the entire
event.
Judo is one of Israel’s strongest sports, with
Israeli judokas taking home five of the nine
Olympic medals won by the country.
READ MORE:
· Israel & the Region · Israeli judokas · Israel Judo Associ
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COMMENTS
Winning silver in Tel Aviv,
Iranian judoka ‘will never forget
Israeli kindness’
|
Re: Winning Silver In Tel Aviv, Iranian Judoka ‘will Never Forget Israeli Kindness’ by dawnomike(m): 9:55pm On Feb 19, 2021 |
Well, Israel is an enemy of Iran as a country... Not the enemies of individual citizens. |
Re: Winning Silver In Tel Aviv, Iranian Judoka ‘will Never Forget Israeli Kindness’ by Righteousness2(m): 10:14pm On Feb 19, 2021 |
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