Naum Leybovich Prokupets (born March 20, 1948) is a
Moldova
Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised state of Transnistr ...
n-born Israeli former
sprint canoeist who competed for the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
in the late 1960s. He is
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
.
Biography
Naum Prokupets was born in
Basarabeasca
Basarabeasca (, Russian: Басарабяска; Bulgarian: Бесарабка, ''Besarabka'') is a city in Moldova. It is the capital of Basarabeasca District.
Geography
The city, formerly an urban-type settlement, is located on the border wi ...
, a small town in Moldova. At the age of 17, he was spotted by a canoeing trainer who encouraged him to move to Moscow to train with the national USSR canoeing team. In 1991, after working in senior positions in the sports administration for several years and after the break-up of the Soviet Union, Prokupets
immigrated
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
to
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. Initially he worked as a security guard and a pool lifeguard. Now he is a production worker at the Flextronics electronics plant in
Migdal HaEmek
Migdal HaEmek ( he, מִגְדַּל הָעֶמֶק, lit. ''Tower of the Valley'', also officially spelt Migdal HaEmeq, ar, مجدال هعيمق) is a city in the Northern District of Israel.
In it had a population of . There is a tower to ...
. He lives with his family in
Nazareth Illit
Nof HaGalil ( he, נוֹף הַגָּלִיל, lit. ''View of Galilee''; ar, نوف هچليل) is a city in the Northern District of Israel with a population of .
Nof HaGalil was founded in 1957 as Nazareth Illit ( he, נָצְרַת עִלִ ...
.
"Nazareth Illit's secret Olympic champion"
YNet News
Canoeing career
At the 1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...
in Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
, he won a bronze medal in the C-2 1000 m event.1971 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships The 1971 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
The men's competition consisted of six canoe (single paddle, open boat) and nine kayak events. Three events were held for women, all in kayak. C-1 500 m and C-2 500 m ...
in Belgrade.
See also
* List of select Jewish canoeists
* Russian immigration to Israel in the 1990s
The 1990s post-Soviet aliyah began en masse in the late 1980s when the government of Mikhail Gorbachev opened the borders of the USSR and allowed Jews to leave the country for Israel.
Between 1989 and 2006, about 1.6 million Soviet Jews and their ...
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prokupets, Naum
1948 births
Canoeists at the 1968 Summer Olympics
Living people
People from Basarabeasca District
Moldovan male canoeists
Olympic canoeists of the Soviet Union
Olympic bronze medalists for the Soviet Union
Soviet male canoeists
Olympic medalists in canoeing
ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships medalists in Canadian
Jewish Moldovan sportspeople
Moldovan people of Israeli descent
Moldovan emigrants to Israel
Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics