WRESTLERS from Israel

Top 6

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

1. Yael Arad (1967 - )

With an HPI of 36.25, Yael Arad is the most famous Israeli Wrestler.  Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages on wikipedia.

Yael Arad (Hebrew: יעל ארד; born 1 May 1967, in Tel Aviv, Israel) is an Israeli judoka. She was the first Israeli to win an Olympic medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona in 1992. She is widely recognized as one of Israel's most successful athletes and is credited with bringing judo into the athletic mainstream. After her retirement, Arad developed a career as a businesswoman and CEO. She specializes in entrepreneurship, business development and marketing strategy. She manages the commercial rights of ViacomCBS in Israel. Arad advises companies in various sectors and lectures on excellence in sports, life and business.In 2023, Arad became a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

2. Oren Smadja (1970 - )

With an HPI of 31.52, Oren Smadja is the 2nd most famous Israeli Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Shay-Oren Smadja (Hebrew: אורן סמדג'ה; born 20 June 1970) is an Israeli judo coach and former competitive judoka. Smadja won an Olympic bronze medal in 1992 Summer Olympics, making him the first Israeli male to win an Olympic medal, and the second Israeli overall after Yael Arad who won silver in judo the day before.

3. Ariel Ze'evi (1977 - )

With an HPI of 30.63, Ariel Ze'evi is the 3rd most famous Israeli Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Ariel "Arik" Ze'evi (Hebrew: אריאל "אריק" זאבי, born 16 January 1977) is a retired Israeli dan 6 black belt in judo. He had a long and successful career competing in half-heavyweight judo competitions. He won an Olympic bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in the men's 100 kg judo competition.

4. Sagi Muki (1992 - )

With an HPI of 29.29, Sagi Muki is the 4th most famous Israeli Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Sagi Aharon Muki (or Moki; Hebrew: שגיא אהרון מוקי; born 17 May 1992) is an Israeli half-middleweight judoka. Muki is the 2019 World Champion. He also won the 2015 and 2018 European championships. In August 2011 Muki won the European Cup U20 in Berlin in the under 73 kilogram (161-pound) category. He won gold medals in February 2013 at the European Open in Tbilisi, Georgia, in June 2013 at the European Open Tallinn, and in October 2013 at the European Open Minsk in the under 73 weight class. In May 2014, he won the Baku Grand Slam in Azerbaijan in the under 73 kg category, and the following month he won another International Judo Federation World Tour gold medal, this time at the Havana Grand Prix in the under 73 kg category. Muki is a two-time Israeli judo champion. In June 2015, representing Israel at the 2015 European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan, he won the gold medal and the European championship in judo in the under 73 kg weight class. Competing for Israel at the 2016 Summer Olympics he came in 5th place. He was ranked No. 1 in the world in March 2019.

5. Yarden Gerbi (1989 - )

With an HPI of 27.88, Yarden Gerbi is the 5th most famous Israeli Wrestler.  Her biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Yarden Gerbi (or Jerbi, Hebrew: ירדן ג'רבי; born 8 July 1989) is an Israeli former judoka world champion. She won an Olympic bronze medal competing for Israel at the 2016 Summer Olympics, in women's 63 kg judo. Gerbi won the gold medal at the 2013 World Judo Championships in the -63 kg (139 lb) category. She won the Israeli championship five times by the age of 24, and was a silver medalist in the 2009 Maccabiah Games.

6. Or Sasson (1990 - )

With an HPI of 26.11, Or Sasson is the 6th most famous Israeli Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Or "Ori" Sasson (Hebrew: אור "אורי" ששון; born 18 August 1990) is a retired Israeli Olympic judoka. He won a bronze medal in the +100 kg category at the 2016 Summer Olympics and another one at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He is the second of two Israelis to win two Olympic medals. In June 2015, representing Israel at the 2015 European Games in judo in the +100 kg category in Baku, Azerbaijan, Sasson won a silver medal in the 2015 European Judo Championship which was held during the European Games.