A tremendous achievement for Israeli athletics was notched by Blessing Afrifah on Sunday as the Israeli sprinter won the gold medal at the 2023 European Athletics U23 Championships thanks to a victory in the final by a hundredth of a second, stopping the clock at 20.67 seconds and winning the third ever medal and first gold for blue-and-white in the championship.
Also, Sharon Kantor finished in first place on Sunday in the pre-Olympic competition, winning the gold medal in the simulation that was held at the Olympic sailing site in Marseille. Kantor secured her place on the podium in the competition even before the medal races, as she finished the qualifying stage in first place after a big comeback on Saturday.
Sunday's result on the track in Espoo, Finland, was far from Afrifah's personal best (19.96), but as one of the favorites to win, he certainly lived up to expectations. The Israeli started very strong and managed to create a gap from the participants, when towards the end the Dutch Raphael Bojo narrowed the gaps and almost overtook him, but stopped the clock at only 20.68 seconds. The podium was completed by the Swiss Timothy Momenthaler, with 20.85 seconds.
Afrifa, who finished with the best result in the qualifiers, was a candidate for the gold medal and got it after an excellent run. In doing so, he added a very respectable title to himself, having been crowned Junior World Champion at this distance in the summer of 2022.
Israel's third medal in this competition
This is Israel's third medal in this competition, with the previous ones being a silver medal by Dima Kreuter, the high jumper who won it in 2015, and the second a silver medal also by Tedsa Gethon, in the 10 km run in 2019.
The Israeli Olympic Committee stated: "A big day for Olympic sports in Israel with two important and significant gold medals in the world arena. Both athletes came as favorites for the medal and withstood the pressure, exactly one year before the Olympic Games in Paris. Surfer Sharon Kantor proved that she belongs to the top of the world when she won the pre-Olympic tournament at the Olympic site in Marseille - a competition that is a simulation of the Olympic Games and Blessing Afrifah, who proves that he is the best runner in Europe for his age and the best in the world in 200 meters.
"Congratulations to coaches Shahar Zubri and Vigal Balon, to the Sailing and Athletics associations and the dedicated support of the unit for high-achieving sports and the scientific and medical teams. Now we are all facing the world championships next month, focused on continuing the great momentum of Israeli sports."