Shai Kakon

Shai Kakon (also Shay Kakon; Hebrew: שי קקון; born 5 November 2002) is an Israeli Olympic sailor. She was the 2017 European Laser 4.7 Youth U16 Girl Champion, and World silver medalist. She was then the 2019 Youth Sailing World Championship Laser Radial Girls silver medalist. She competed for Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She won the 2022 European U21 Championship. Kakon will represent Israel at the 2024 Summer Olympics in sailing in Sailing/Laser Radial on August 1-6, 2024, in Marseille, France.

Early life
Kakon was born and lives in Hadera, Israel.

Sailing career
Her club is the Sdot Yam Sailing Club in Israel. As a child, she began sailing with the Optimist model. Her coach is Erez Eliyahu.

2017–20; U16 European Girl champion
At the 2017 Laser 4.7 Youth World Championships, she won the U16 silver medal, in Nieuwpoort, Belgium. She won the gold medal in the 2017 European Laser 4.7 Youth Championships, becoming the new U16 European Girl champion, in Los Alcázares, Spain.

At the 2018 Laser Radial (ILCA 6) Youth European Championships Women's U17, she won the silver medal, in Balatonfoldvar, Hungary.

In the 2019 Youth Sailing World Championship – Laser Radial Girls, she won a bronze medal in Gdynia, Poland.

2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics
Kakon represented Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in August 2021, at 19 years of age, competing in Laser Radial. She placed 30th overall, and therefore missed the final round. She placed second in the 9th race, and fifth in the 10th race.

2022–present
In 2022 she became the European U21 Champion, winning the 2022 ILCA U21 European Championships in Lac d'Hourtin-Carcans, France, ahead of Marilena Makri of Cyprus in a race with 61 competitors. At the 2022 Youth World Championships in Gdynia, Poland, she won the bronze medal.

In February 2024 at the 2024 ILCA 6 Women European Championships & Open European Trophy/PARIS2024 Olympic qualification in Athens, Greece, she came in 16th. She won the fifth race. Kakon will represent Israel at the 2024 Summer Olympics in sailing in Sailing/Laser Radial on August 1-6, 2024, in Marseille, France.