Arik Ze’evi claimed his eighth career European Judo Championship medal on Saturday.
By ALLON SINAIArik Zeevi 224.88(photo credit: AP)
Arik Ze’evi claimed his eighth career European Judo Championship medal on Saturday, defeating Artem Bloshenko of Ukraine in the under-100 kilogram repechage final in Vienna to take home the bronze medal.The 33-year-old, a former three-time European champion, has now won a bronze medal in three of the last four European championships, while also coming within one victory of the podium in last year’s competition.Ze’evi, a winner of the Olympic bronze medal in the 2004 Athens Games, triumphed in his first three fights to reach the semifinals, only to lose to defending champion and eventual winner Elco van der Geest in the last four.In the repechage final, Ze’evi clinched the victory with an ippon overBloshenko with 90 seconds remaining on the clock and scaled the podiumonce more in a competition he so loves.Ze’evi, who won the European gold medal in 2001, 2003 and 2004, thesilver in 2005 and the bronze in 1999, 2007, 2008 and 2010, has yet todecide whether he will continue to compete until the 2012 London Games,but after Saturday’s result will surely feel more confident of doingwell in what could be his fourth Olympics.Alice Shlesinger, who won the bronze medal in the women’s under-63 kgcompetition in 2008 and 2009, crashed out in the first round of thechampionships on Friday, losing to Vlora Bedzeti of Slovenia.
