The Most Famous

ATHLETES from Israel

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This page contains a list of the greatest Israeli Athletes. The pantheon dataset contains 6,025 Athletes, 36 of which were born in Israel. This makes Israel the birth place of the 60th most number of Athletes behind Georgia, and Taiwan.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Israeli Athletes of all time. This list of famous Israeli Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Israeli Athletes.

Photo of Zhang Ling

1. Zhang Ling (b. )

With an HPI of 46.52, Zhang Ling is the most famous Israeli Athlete.  Their biography has been translated into 4 different languages on wikipedia.

Zhang Ling may refer to: Zhang Daoling (34–156), Eastern Han dynasty Taoist hermit Zhang Ling (author) (born 1957), Chinese audiologist and fiction writer based in Canada Zhang Ling (runner) (born 1981), Chinese middle-distance runner Zhang Ling (tennis) (born 1989), Chinese tennis player representing Hong Kong Zhang Ling (gymnast) (born 1992), Chinese rhythmic gymnast Zhang Ling (rower) (born 1997), Chinese rower

Photo of Gal Fridman

2. Gal Fridman (b. 1975)

With an HPI of 45.36, Gal Fridman is the 2nd most famous Israeli Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Gal Fridman (or Friedman, Hebrew: גל פרידמן; born September 16, 1975) is an Israeli windsurfer and Israel's first Olympic gold medalist. Fridman won a Bronze Medal in the Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics, and a gold medal in the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics. He is the first of two Israelis athletes to win two Olympic Medals, and the first Olympic Gold medalist in Israeli history. His first name, Gal, means "wave" in Hebrew. He was born in Karkur, Israel, and lives close to the water in Sdot Yam, a nearby kibbutz.

Photo of Raz Hershko

3. Raz Hershko (b. 1998)

With an HPI of 41.19, Raz Hershko is the 3rd most famous Israeli Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Raz Hershko (Hebrew: רז הרשקו; born 19 June 1998; nicknamed Hershkules) is an Israeli Olympic silver medalist and European champion judoka. She was the 2015 European Cadet Champion, the 2017 European U23 Championships silver medalist, and won a bronze medal in the 2023 World Championships. She competed for Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics, winning a bronze medal in the mixed team event. She is the 2024 European Champion. Representing Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Hershko won the silver medal in judo in the women's +78 kg, and also competed in the mixed team event, in which Team Israel came in ninth.

Photo of Shahar Tzuberi

4. Shahar Tzuberi (b. 1986)

With an HPI of 38.21, Shahar Tzuberi is the 4th most famous Israeli Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Shahar Tzuberi (or Zubari, Hebrew: שחר צוברי; born 1 September 1986) is an Israeli windsurfer and Olympic bronze medalist, surfing in the "Neil Pryde" RS:X discipline. He is a nephew of Gad Tsobari, the 1972 Olympic wrestler who escaped from Arab terrorists during the Munich massacre. He is a three-time Olympian.

Photo of Gili Sharir

5. Gili Sharir (b. 1999)

With an HPI of 34.24, Gili Sharir is the 5th most famous Israeli Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Gili Sharir (Hebrew: גילי שריר; born 22 November 1999) is an Israeli judoka and Olympic bronze medalist, having won a bronze medal in mixed team event at the 2020 Summer Olympics. Sharir also won a bronze at the mixed team event of the 2022 World Championships. At the European Championships, she won a bronze medal in 2022 and a silver medal in 2023. Sharir represented Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics in judo in the women's 63 kg, and in the mixed team event, at which Team Israel came in ninth.

Photo of Shira Rishony

6. Shira Rishony (b. 1991)

With an HPI of 33.51, Shira Rishony is the 6th most famous Israeli Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Shira Rishony (Hebrew: שירה ראשוני, born 21 February 1991) is an Israeli Olympic lightweight judoka. She competes at U48 kg (under 106 pounds). She competed for Israel at the 2016 Summer Olympics. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics she won a bronze medal in the mixed team event, and placed 5th in the women's 48 kg event. She won a bronze medal at the 2022 European Championship. Rishony represented Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics in judo; in the women's 48 kg she came in 17th, and in the mixed team event Team Israel came in ninth.

Photo of Avishag Semberg

7. Avishag Semberg (b. 2001)

With an HPI of 32.96, Avishag Semberg is the 7th most famous Israeli Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Avishag Semberg (or Abishag Samberg, Hebrew: אבישג סמברג; born (2001-09-16)16 September 2001) is an Israeli Olympic taekwondo athlete. She is an Olympic bronze medalist for Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the women's 49 kg competition. She won Israel's all-time tenth Olympic medal, and is the youngest Israeli to receive an Olympic medal, at the age of 19. Semberg represented Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the women's taekwondo -49 kg category. Saudi athlete Dunya Abutaleb defeated Semberg in the first round.

Photo of Baruch Shmailov

8. Baruch Shmailov (b. 1994)

With an HPI of 31.98, Baruch Shmailov is the 8th most famous Israeli Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Baruch Shmailov (Hebrew: ברוך שמאילוב; born 2 September 1994) is an Israeli Olympic judoka. He competes in the under 66 kg weight category, and won a gold medal in the 2022 World Masters in Jerusalem. Shmailov also won a bronze in the 2017 World Masters, as well as a silver at the 2018 World Masters. He competed for Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics, finishing in fifth place in the individual competition and winning a bronze medal in the mixed team. He has reached a high world ranking of third in 2019, 2022, and 2024. Shmailov represented Israel at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris in judo in the men's 66 kg event (where he beat Morocco’s Abderrahmane Boushita in his first match, lost to Tajikistan’s Nurali Emomali in his round of 16 match, and came in 9th), and in the mixed team event in which Team Israel came in ninth.

Photo of Maor Tiyouri

9. Maor Tiyouri (b. 1990)

With an HPI of 30.73, Maor Tiyouri is the 9th most famous Israeli Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 7 different languages.

Maor Tiyouri (Hebrew: מאור טיורי; born 13 August 1990) is an Israeli Olympic long-distance runner, former national record holder of Israel in the 5000 metres, and a six-time Israeli national champion – in the 1500 m (three times), the 3000 m, the 5,000 m, and the 10,000 m. She competed for Israel in the marathon in both the 2016 Olympic Games and the 2020 Olympic Games. Tiyouri represented Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the Women's marathon, coming in 49th.

Photo of Nicol Zelikman

10. Nicol Zelikman (b. 2001)

With an HPI of 28.36, Nicol Zelikman is the 10th most famous Israeli Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 9 different languages.

Nicol Zelikman (Hebrew: ניקול זליקמן; born January 30, 2001) is a former Israeli individual rhythmic gymnast. She is a two-time medalist at the 2016 European Junior Championships.

People

Pantheon has 36 people classified as Israeli athletes born between 1975 and 2002. Of these 36, 36 (100.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Israeli athletes include Zhang Ling, Gal Fridman, and Raz Hershko. As of April 2024, 33 new Israeli athletes have been added to Pantheon including Zhang Ling, Raz Hershko, and Gili Sharir.

Living Israeli Athletes

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Newly Added Israeli Athletes (2024)

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