While Israeli athletes are experiencing disappointing Olympics results, failing to obtain the much-coveted medals, Jewish athletes from quite a few other delegations are succeeding, excelling and bringing the medals home for their countries. They are proving, as the Jewish seven-time gold medalist Mark Spitz did in 1972, that the problem is not Jewish genes, but rather the environment, investment and culture. The most outstanding Jewish athlete of the 2012 Olympic Games is an 18-year-old woman from Massachusetts Alexandra "Aly" Raisman, who won a gold medal together with her teammates for the U.S. womens gymnastics team, known as Team USA. After her team win, Raisman also won a personal gold medal on Tuesday in the women's floor exercise competition and a bronze medal in the balance beam competition. Jewish swimmer Jason Lezak, together with the other members of the U.S. team, won a silver medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay contest. The gold in that competition went to the French team, among which was Fabien Gilot, who is said to be a legend in France for achieving the win. After winning the race in the pool, Gilot raised his arms in the air, revealing a tattoo in Hebrew with words that translate to I am nothing without them. Gilot is said to have acquired the tattoo in honor of his grandmothers Jewish husband, Max Goldschmidt, a Holocaust survivor who had a profound influence on his life. Jewish athlete Nathan Cohen and his partner Joseph Sullivan of New Zealand won a gold medal in the men's double sculls rowing competition. Another Jewish athlete from Australia, 19-year-old Jessica Fox, astounded the audience by winning a silver medal in the canoe slalom contest after being considered an underdog with less experience in the field than her home country rivals. Fox won the medal 16 years after her mother, Miriam Yerushalmi, participated in the 1997 Maccabiah Games as part of the French delegation. While Israeli judokas failed to capture any medals on the mat, a Jewish judoka from Brazil, Felipe Kitadai, won a bronze medal in the 60 kg competition.
In the sprinting category, 19-year-old Jewish athlete Steven Solomon from Australia, who participated in the last Maccabiah Games, made it to the finals in the 400-meter dash competition, but came in last place.
Other athletes competing in the London Games may be Jewish as well, but have not revealed that in public. Hungarian Krisztián Berki, who won the gold in the pommel horse competition, is known to be Jewish but has not mentioned his Jewish background throughout the games.
And there was also Josh Booth, another undeclared Jewish athlete who was one of eight rowers on the Australian team. Frustrated by his team's loss in the group rowing competition, Booth got drunk, broke a few windows in London shops, was arrested and sent back home to Australia.
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Jewish athletes made of gold
Despite Israeli disappointments in the 2012 Summer Olympics Games in London, Jewish athletes in other delegations brought home gold, silver and bronze, perhaps proving it's not the genes, but the investment and culture.
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