"All this is for me? Wow! It's too much," declared Yarden Gerbi, the Israeli judoka who won the first medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games for Israel on Tuesday, as she entered the celebration organized in her honor by the Olympic committee. After a day of matches, which culminated on the podium with a bronze medal around her neck, Gerbi was finally able to pause to eat something between camera flashes. "I am proud to be where I am now, with a medal around my neck," she said. "I will never forget this. This is a dream come true, for me personally and for all the people of Israel who dreamed with me. I am proud to represent Israel. I received everything I needed -- funding, support, encouragement and accolades -- and I appreciate it. It is hard for me to explain how I feel. It will take me some time to process what happened here tonight. I am proud of the day that I've had and I am grateful for everyone who came to cheer me on." Just like Yael Arad, the Israeli judoka who became Israel's first Olympic medalist when she won a silver medal in Barcelona in 1992, Gerbi dedicated her victory to the victims of the terrorist attack at the 1972 Munich Olympics. She posed with Ilana Romano and Ankie Spitzer, the widows of two of the 11 Israeli athletes who were murdered by Palestinian terrorists, saying that "meeting the widows was so emotional for me." "This is something I will never forget. It is an honor for me to have them here with me," she added. She also thanked her supportive family back in Netanya, saying, "My family is watching me right now, even though it is 4 a.m. in Israel. I spoke with my parents, my little sister and my brother. I only missed my older sister, who is on her honeymoon right now. I may need to join her and get away for a little vacation. "The family is very proud of me, they have sacrificed so much. My mother told me that on the day of the matches, reporters were knocking on the door and my little sister, a true politician, said to them 'I'm not talking until this day ends' and closed the door. I am happy that they are enjoying this now. They deserve it." Gerbi was supposed to return to Israel on Sunday, after having been apart from her family for many weeks, but the Olympic committee has offered her the honor of carrying the Israeli flag at the closing ceremony on Aug. 21. According to Gili Lustig, the Israeli Olympic committee director, "As of now, Yarden prefers to return to Israel earlier, and we will accept whatever decision she makes." If she does decide to stay an extra week and participate in the ceremony, Gerbi's parents plan to fly to Brazil to congratulate their daughter and "give a first loving kiss to our hero." Throughout the celebration, Gerbi held on to the medal and would not part with it for a minute. "My neck is sore," she said. "The medal is so heavy, but I'm taking it to bed with me."
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שיתוף כתבה
Judoka dedicates Olympic medal to 1972 Munich massacre victims
"This is a dream come true," says Yarden Gerbi after winning Israel's first medal in Rio • "My neck is sore, the medal is so heavy, but I'm taking it to bed with me," she vows • Gerbi says it is "an honor" to have widows of two slain athletes with her.