Ariel "Arik" Ze'evi ( he, אריאל "אריק" זאבי, born 16 January 1977) is a retired
Israeli dan 6 black belt in
Judo
is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...
. He had a long and successful career competing in half-heavyweight Judo competitions. He is an Olympic bronze medal finalist in the
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
Judo 100 kg class in
Athens.
Biography
Ze'evi is
Jewish, and was born and raised in
Bnei Brak
Bnei Brak or Bene Beraq ( he, בְּנֵי בְּרַק ) is a city located on the central Mediterranean coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an area of 709 hectares (1752 acres, or 2.74 squ ...
, Israel, a predominantly Orthodox Jewish city in the
Tel Aviv metropolitan area.
While growing up, he trained in the local Judo club in his neighborhood, together with his older brother, Roni, who was also the club's first local gold medal pioneer after having finished first in the national Israeli Judo Championships. Ze'evi, heavily influenced by his brother and his accomplishment, began training intensively, and at the age of 15 won his first national competition in the adult class, becoming the country's youngest champion ever. Despite the lack of advanced training facilities, Ze'evi continued training in his local club and steadily closed the gap to world class level, and began competing abroad.
In his personal life, Ze'evi obtained a
LLB
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
degree from the
Interdisciplinary Center
Reichman University ( he, אוניברסיטת רייכמן) is Israel's only private university, located in Herzliya, Tel Aviv District. It was founded in 1994 as the IDC Herzliya private college, before being rebranded in 2021.
It receives no ...
college, in
Herzliya
Herzliya ( ; he, הֶרְצְלִיָּה ; ar, هرتسليا, Hirtsiliyā) is an affluent city in the central coast of Israel, at the northern part of the Tel Aviv District, known for its robust start-up and entrepreneurial culture. In i ...
.
He also hosted a sports television show for the
Israeli Broadcasting Authority.
Judo career
Ze'evi won a bronze medal in judo in the U95 at the
1997 Maccabiah Games
The 15th Maccabiah Games are remembered for being marred by a bridge collapse that killed several participants.
The Maccabiah had more than 5,000 athletes from 33 countries competing in 36 sports. New sports for the Games included beach volleybal ...
.
Ze'evi placed 5th competing for
Israel at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Israel competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. 39 competitors, 29 men and 10 women, took part in 43 events in 9 sports. The delegation of 39 athletes was the biggest at the time, and third-biggest in history, after 2008 with ...
in the men's 100 kg division, before winning the
bronze medal
A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receives ...
representing
Israel at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Israel competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. It was the nation's thirteenth appearance at the Summer Olympics.
The Olympic Committee of Israel sent 36 athletes to the Games, 20 men and 16 women, to c ...
in
Athens in the men's 100 kg division.
He is the 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2012
European champion and the 2005 silver medalist. Ze'evi also won the silver medal in the open category in the
2001 World Championships.
He missed the
2005 World championships in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
due to a shoulder injury, and subsequently underwent surgery to repair the damage.
Judo / Ze'evi begins physical therapy but will miss championships
Haaretz, 22 August 2007
Representing Israel at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Israel competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. This was Israel's fourteenth participation in the Summer Olympics.
Israel sent 43 athletes to compete in Beijing, the largest Israeli delegation in Olympic history, with the previous ...
in Beijing, he failed to win a medal after losing his second match in the repechage bracket. Ze'evi told the Israeli media he does not want to end his career without a victory (probably hinting at the Judo World Championships in 2009).
According to the International Judo Federation's World Ranking List, as of April 2012, Zeevi was ranked #8.
He became the champion of Europe for the fourth time in 2012, winning the competition in Chelyabinsk, Russia.
Achievements
See also
* List of select Jewish judokas
* List of Israelis
References
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ze'evi, Ariel
1977 births
Living people
Israeli male judoka
Competitors at the 1997 Maccabiah Games
Maccabiah Games medalists in judo
Maccabiah Games bronze medalists for Israel
Olympic judoka of Israel
Judoka at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Judoka at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Judoka at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Judoka at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Olympic bronze medalists for Israel
Jewish martial artists
People from Bnei Brak
Olympic medalists in judo
Israeli Jews
Reichman University alumni
Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics