The Most Famous
ATHLETES from Israel
This page contains a list of the greatest Israeli Athletes. The pantheon dataset contains 6,025 Athletes, 3 of which were born in Israel. This makes Israel the birth place of the 100th most number of Athletes behind Namibia, and Saudi Arabia.
Top 5
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the 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.
1. Gal Fridman (b. 1975)
With an HPI of 37.01, Gal Fridman is the most famous Israeli Athlete. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages on wikipedia.
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 his gold medal in the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics. He is the first of two Israelis athlete 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.
2. Shahar Tzuberi (b. 1986)
With an HPI of 28.87, Shahar Tzuberi is the 2nd 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.
3. Shira Rishony (b. 1991)
With an HPI of 23.54, Shira Rishony is the 3rd 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 competed at U48 kg (under 106 pounds). She competed for Israel at the 2016 Summer Olympics and at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
4. Avishag Semberg (b. 2001)
With an HPI of 22.91, Avishag Semberg is the 4th 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 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.
5. Baruch Shmailov (b. 1994)
With an HPI of 21.80, Baruch Shmailov is the 5th most famous Israeli Athlete. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Baruch Shmailov (Hebrew: ברוך שמאילוב; born 9 February 1994) is an Israeli 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. As of December 2022, Shmailov is ranked #3 in -66 kg weight category. He competed for Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics, finishing in fifth place.
People
Pantheon has 5 people classified as Israeli athletes born between 1975 and 2001. Of these 5, 5 (100.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Israeli athletes include Gal Fridman, Shahar Tzuberi, and Shira Rishony. As of April 2024, 2 new Israeli athletes have been added to Pantheon including Shira Rishony, and Baruch Shmailov.
Living Israeli Athletes
Go to all Rankings
Gal Fridman
1975 - Present
HPI: 37.01
Shahar Tzuberi
1986 - Present
HPI: 28.87
Shira Rishony
1991 - Present
HPI: 23.54
Avishag Semberg
2001 - Present
HPI: 22.91
Baruch Shmailov
1994 - Present
HPI: 21.80
