Avishag Semberg

Avishag Semberg (or Abishag Samberg,[2][3] Hebrew: אבישג סמברג; born 16 September 2001) is an Israeli taekwondo athlete.[4] She was an Olympic bronze medalist for Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the women's 49 kg competition. She won Israel's all-time tenth Olympic medal, and is the youngest Israeli to receive an Olympic medal, at the age of 19.

Avishag Semberg
Semberg in 2020
Personal information
Birth nameAvishag Semberg
NationalityIsraeli
Born (2001-09-16) 16 September 2001
Gedera, Israel
Sport
Country Israel
SportTaekwondo
Weight class49 kg / 53 kg[1]
ClubSharabi Martial Arts
Coached byYechiam Sharabi
Achievements and titles
World finals9th (2019)
Olympic finals (2021)
Medal record
Representing  Israel
Women's taekwondo
Olympic Games
2020 Tokyo49 kg
European Championships OWC
2020 Sarajevo49 kg
World Junior Championships
2016 Burnaby46 kg
European U21 Championships
2019 Helsingborg49 kg
European Junior Championships
2017 Larnaca46 kg
Semberg (left) at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics

Early life

Semberg was born and raised in Gedera, Israel, to parents of both Ashkenazi Jewish and Sephardic Jewish (Moroccan-Jewish) descent,[5] Oren Semberg and Nili Cohen-Semberg. Her father is a lawyer,[6] and he resides in Caesarea, Israel.

In 2015, at 13.5 years of age Semberg participated in the third season of the Israeli The Kids' Channel reality game show The Boys and The Girls (HaBanim VeHaBanot), and was the ninth-eliminated contestant, the last one right before the finale where her girl teammates have won.[7]

Semberg was enlisted as soldier to the Israel Defense Forces in 2020, serving with the Home Front Command.[5][8][9]

She trains at the Sharabi Martial Arts club in Ramla, Israel, where Semberg resides as well, coached by Yechiam Sharabi.[10]

Career

In 2013, Semberg won a gold medal in the in the Israel Cadets Open in the 37 kg weight class in Ashdod, Israel, and in 2015 she won a gold medal in the Israel Cadets Open in the 44 kg weight class in Ramla, Israel.[11]

In 2016 Semberg won a bronze medal at the youth World Taekwondo Championships in Burnaby, Canada, in the 46 kg weight class.[11]

In 2017 she won a bronze medal in the European Youth Championships in the 46 kg weight class in Larnaca, Cyprus.[11] That year she also won a gold medal in the Israel Senior Open in the 46 kg weight class in Ramla, Israel.[11]

On 8 October 2018 she placed fifth at the Girls' 49 kg competition in the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Also that year, she won a gold medal in the 2018 Polish Youth Open in the 49 kg weight class in Warsaw, Poland.[11] In 2019 she won a bronze medal in the European Junior Championships in Helsingborg, Sweden, and gold medals in the Israel Senior Open and the Riga Senior Open, in the 49 kg weight class.[11]

In 2020 she won a gold medal in the European Clubs Senior Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, in the 49 kg weight class.[11]

2020 Summer Olympics – Olympic bronze medal

On 7 May 2021 Semberg qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, by winning the gold medal in the 2021 European Taekwondo Olympic Qualification Tournament.[12][13][11]

Participating in the women's 49 kg for Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Semberg beat Puerto Rican Victoria Stambaugh in the qualification round, before losing to Thai 2015 and 2019 world champion Panipak Wongpattanakit in the round of 16. With Wongpattanakit progressing to the final, Semberg got to compete in the repechage, where she beat 8th-seeded Trương Thị Kim Tuyền from Vietnam to qualify for the bronze medal match against Turkey's Rukiye Yıldırım, whom Semberg beat, 27–22, earning Israel's first Olympic medal (all-time, tenth) in the 2020 Summer games.[14][15] Semberg is also the youngest Israeli to win an Olympic medal, at age 19.

Personal life

Semberg is in a relationship with Israeli taekwondo athlete Nimrod Krivitzky since 2019.[16]

See also

References
  1. https://www.israelhayom.co.il/magazine/shishabat/article/6470633
  2. "Taekwondo SEMBERG Abishag". 2020 Summer Olympics. Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  3. Ganor, Tomer (April 7, 2018). "Israelis barred entrance to Tunisian taekwondo World Junior Championships". Ynetnews. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  4. "LA LUCHADORA DE TAEKWONDO ISRAELÍ AVISHAG SAMBERG GANÓ LA MEDALLA DE ORO EN EL CAMPEONATO DE EUROPA". itongadol.com. November 24, 2020. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  5. "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  6. Oren Semberg, המותר והאסור ברשתות חברתיות
  7. "Along with Gal Gvaram: Medalist Avishag Samberg has participated in reality shows in the past". Middle East in 24 Sport English. July 25, 2021.
  8. "מרשים: אבישג סמברג זכתה באליפות אירופה בטאקוונדו". הארץ. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  9. https://www.one.co.il/Glitch/68764/כוכבי-והכוכבת/
  10. "TaekwondoData". TaekwondoData. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  11. "TaekwondoData". TaekwondoData.
  12. "Tokyo taekwondo tickets on offer in Sofia". Tokyo 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  13. "Taekwondo, Preolimpico Europeo Sofia: Simone Alessio vola a Tokyo! Tutti i qualificati della prima giornata". OA Sport (in Italian). May 7, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  14. "2020 Summer Olympics — Taekwondo – Women -49kg Schedule". 2020 Summer Olympics. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  15. "Draw sheet" (PDF). 2020 Summer Olympics. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  16. "Picture with boyfriend". www.instagram.com. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
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