The Israeli national anthem, “Hatikva,” was played in the Japanese capital as 27-year-old judoka Sagi Muki stood on the podium.
For the first time, an Israeli male judoka has won a gold medal at the Judo World Championship. It happened on Wednesday in Tokyo.
The Israeli national anthem, “Hatikva,” was played in the Japanese capital as 27-year-old judoka Sagi Muki stood on the podium after he was given the gold medal for winning in the under-81 kg weight category. He defeated Belgian opponent Matthias Casse in the final.
It was Muki’s first medal of any sort at a World Championship. He had taken the gold at the European Championship twice, in 2015 and 2018.
In the quarter-final, he defeated Egyptian Mohamed Abdelaal, who refused to shake Muki’s hand after having lost the match to the Israeli judoka.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted: “You have brought much pride and respect to all of us.” He also posted a video conversation with the new world champion, during which he invited Muki to visit the Prime MInister’s Office in Jerusalem and bring the medal with him.
