How Israel became a judo superpower
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How Israel became a judo powerhouse at the Olympics
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Israel s Or Sasson celebrates after winning the bronze medal during the men s over 100-kg judo competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 12, 2016. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
JTA When he immigrated to Israel from his native Ukraine in the early 1990s, judo master Igor Romanitsky was already resigned to quitting the sport professionally and pursuing a medical career.
“Israel wasn’t known for its judo scene back then, and I had a medical degree,” Romanitsky, now 57, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “I assumed my days as a judoka were over.”
But Romanitsky, a father of two from Modiin, was in for a surprise.