Raz Hershko

Raz Hershko (רז הרשקו; born 19 June 1998; nicknamed Hershkules) is an Israeli European champion and Olympic judoka. She was the 2015 European U18 Champion, the 2017 European U23 championships silver medalist, and won a bronze medal in the 2023 world championships. She competed for Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics, winning a bronze medal in mixed team. She is the 2024 European Champion. Hershko will represent Israel at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris in judo in the women's +78 kg on 2 August 2024, and in the mixed team event.

Early life
Her uncle is Israeli-born former judoka and current Head Coach of the Israel women's national judo team Shany Hershko (he), and when she was four years old she joined the judo club he had founded. In 2016, she began her Israeli Defense Forces service as an exceptional athlete.

She trains at the Wingate Institute in Netanya, Israel. She is openly lesbian. She said: "I came out to my parents, and now I feel that everyone accepts me as I am."

Career
Hershko competes in the 78 kg-and-over weight category. She is coached by Shani Hershko, Miki Tanaka, and Ido Bar.

2014–16; European U18 Champion
Hershko won the silver medal in the 2014 European Cup U21 Coimbra, and bronze medals in the 2014 European Cup U21 Thessaloniki and the 2014 European Cup U21 La Coruna. She won the gold medal in the 2014 Israeli U18 Championships in Ra'anana.

Hershko won the 2015 European U18 Judo Championships in Sofia. She also won silver medals at the 2015 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival, the 2015 European Cup U21 La Coruna, and the 2015 European Cup Cadets Fuengirola. She won the silver medal in the 2015 Israeli Championships in Ra'anana.

She won the gold medals at the 2016 European Cup U21 Athens and the 2016 European Cup U21 Ploiesti. Hershko also won a bronze medal at the 2016 European Cup U21 La Coruna. She won the gold medal at the 2016 Israeli U21 Championships in Ra'anana.

2017–20; European U23 championships silver medal
Hershko won a silver medal at the 2017 European U23 Championships in Podgorica, Montenegro,  and a bronze at the 2018 European U23 Championships in Gyor, Hungary. She won the gold medal in the 2018 European Cup Malaga, Spain. She won the silver medal in the 2017 Israeli Championships in Ra'anana.

She won the gold medal in the 2018 Israeli Championships in Tel Aviv.

At the 2019 Grand Prix Montreal in Canada, Hershko won a silver medal, and at the 2019 European Open Cluj Napoca in Romania she won a bronze medal. She won the gold medal in the 2019 Israeli Championships in Tel Aviv. In November 2020, she had elbow surgery.

2020 Tokyo Olympics (in 2021); bronze medal
Hershko represented Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in 2021, competing at the women's +78 kg weight category. Hershko won her first match with an ippon against the Saudi Tahani Alqahtani in 42 seconds, advancing to the round of 16. There, she met the 2019 world champion – Japan's Akira Sone. Hershko lost to Sone, ending her part in the individual competition. She won an Olympic bronze medal in the mixed team.

2021–present; European Champion, and world championship bronze medal
Hershko won the gold medals at the 2021 Antalya Grand Slam in Turkey and the 2021 Judo Grand Slam Paris in France. She also won bronze medals at the 2021 Judo Grand Slam Baku and the 2021 Judo Grand Slam Abu Dhabi.

Hershko won the silver medal at the 2022 European Judo Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. She also won gold medals at the 2022 Judo Grand Slam Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia and the 2022 Judo Grand Prix Zagreb in Croatia. She won a silver medal at the 2022 Judo Grand Slam Antalya in Turkey, and bronze medals at the 2022 Judo World Masters in Jerusalem, Israel, the 2022 Tel Aviv Grand Slam in Israel, and the 2022 Judo Grand Slam Budapest in Hungary.

Hershko won a bronze medal at the 2023 World Judo Championships in Doha, Qatar. She won the silver medal at the 2023 European Judo Championships in Montpellier, France. She won gold medals at the 2023 Judo Grand Slam Tel Aviv in Israel and the 2023 Judo Grand Slam Tbilisi in Georgia, a silver medal at the 2023 Judo Grand Slam Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, and bronze medals at the 2023 Judo Grand Slam Baku and the 2023 Judo Grand Slam Tokyo. She won the gold medal in the 2023 Israeli Championships.

Hershko won the gold medal at the 2024 European Judo Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. She dedicated her medal to Israeli Yonatan Goutin, who was killed by Hamas terrorists in the October 7 attack on Kibbutz Be'eri in the Be'eri massacre. She won a bronze medal at the 2024 Judo Grand Slam Paris in France.

2024 Paris Olympics
Hershko will represent Israel at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris in judo in the women's +78 kg on 2 August 2024, and in the mixed team event.

Titles
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