Sharon Kantor (; born 28 January 2003) is an Israeli world champion and Olympic windsurfer.
Early life
Kantor was born and raised in moshav
Avihayil, and is Jewish.
[Jacob Gurvis (August 8, 2024). "All the Jewish Medalists at the 2024 Paris Olympics,"] Her mother Nurith Dinte had moved to Israel from Australia, and her father Steven Kantor had moved to Israel from South Africa, both at five years of age.
Her father, Steven, was the Israeli national squash champion, and for a decade was the chairman of the Israel Squash Association.
Sharon is the middle child in her family, with two brothers and two sisters. She attended Ramot Yam High School in
Michmoret, Israel, graduating with honors.
Windsurfing career
Kantor belongs to the Michmoret
Emek Hefer Sailing Club.
She is coached by Israeli former Olympic windsurfing bronze medalist
Shahar Tzuberi.
She trains with the Israeli team primarily at
Sdot Yam, and also trains in the Kinneret,
Eilat,
Haifa Bay,
Haifa, and
Herzliya.
Commenting on her approach to windsurfing competition, she said: "the most important thing for me has been to enjoy what I'm doing."
Early years; U17 World Championship bronze medalist
Kantor began windsurfing at the age of 10, participating in competitions at the age of 11, and at 13 won her first international title in a competition for youths under 15.
In 2018 she won the European Under-17 Bic Techno Championship in
Athens, Greece, and then the same year won a bronze medal in the Techno 293 World Championships in the under-17 category in Liepāja, Latvia.
2023; European Championship silver medalist
In 2023 Kantor represented Israel at the European Windsurfing Championships in May in the
IQFoil class, during which she won four races, and consequently won a
silver medal.
She also won a silver medal in the under-21 category.
Kantor won a
bronze medal in January 2023 at the World Cup in the island of
Lanzarote, Spain.
In July 2023 she won a gold medal at the pre-Olympic competition in Marseille, France.
2024; World Champion and Olympic silver medalist
At the iQFoil 2024 World Championships held in Lanzarote,
Canary Islands, in February, the 21-year-old Kantor won the gold medal, ahead of Emma Wilson from Britain and Katy Spychakov from Israel.
Following her victory, it was decided that she will represent Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
She said: "Standing on that podium, draped in the Israeli flag alongside my fellow competitor Katy Spychakov, was a moment of pure elation and fulfillment."
Commenting on how the
Gaza war impacted her preparation, she said: "At the beginning of the war, it was very difficult to concentrate on training, and not let what was happening interfere. If I represent the country - that's my mission."
Representing Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Kantor won the silver medal in the Women's IQ Foil.[ "Historic day at Olympics: Israel wins gold, 2 silvers in windsurfing and gymnastics; Windsurfers Tom Reuveny and Sharon Kantor land gold and silver, artistic gymnast Artem Dolgopyat scores silver, as country sets new record with 6 medals at Games – and 3 in a single day," The Times of Israel.] She is Israel's first female Olympic medalist in sailing.[ "Olympic Sailing 2024: Israel are charting a new path in Men’s and Women’s Windsurfing," World Sailing.]
See also
-
List of European Championships medalists in sailing
-
List of Jews in sailing
-
List of Jewish Olympic medalists
-
List of iQFoil Windsurfing World Championships medalists
External links
