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Shira RishonyIsraeli judoka
Date of Birth: 21.02.1991
Country:  Israel |
Content:
- Shiri Rishony: From Ballet to Olympic Judo
- Judo Career
- International Success
- Injury and Return
- Olympic Debut
- 2020 Olympics and Beyond
Shiri Rishony: From Ballet to Olympic Judo
Early Life and Ballet AspirationsShiri Rishony was born in Holon, Israel, in 1991. At the age of five, her mother enrolled her in ballet classes, despite her desire to study judo. After two years of ballet, Rishony's mother finally allowed her to pursue her passion for judo.
Judo Career
Rishony won the Israeli Women's Judo Championship in the -48 kg division in 2009 and 2012. She also earned silver in 2014 and bronze in 2007 and 2011. In 2009, Rishony won gold medals at the Maccabiah Games and the Izmir "Cehat Senor" U20 World Junior Tour.
International Success
Rishony's international breakthrough came in 2012 when she won a gold medal at the IJF World Tour in Tashkent. She also secured bronze medals at the World Championships in Bucharest and Istanbul. In 2013, Rishony won the Tashkent Grand Prix gold and the Almaty Grand Prix bronze.
Injury and Return
An injury sustained at a competition in Germany sidelined Rishony for six months in 2013. After recovering, she won the Tallinn European Open gold and the Cheju and San Salvador Pan American Open bronzes in 2014. She earned a bronze at the Paris Grand Slam in 2015.
Olympic Debut
Rishony competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the -48 kg weight class. However, her debut was cut short when she was disqualified in her first match for an alleged illegal elbow touch.
2020 Olympics and Beyond
Rishony represented Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the -48 kg category. She advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Luz Alvarez and Julia Figueroa. In the quarterfinals, Rishony lost to Mongolia's Munkhbat Urantsetseg. She then defeated Lin Chen-hao in the repechage but ultimately finished in fifth place after losing to Darya Bilodid in the bronze medal match.
