Kantor’s windsurfing dreams take flight with silver medal

Pride washed over the South African-born father as he sat on a sun-drenched beach in Marseilles, his eyes fixed on his Israeli daughter gliding across the water during the finals of the Olympic Games women’s windsurfing event.

For her breath-taking display of skill and determination Sharon Kantor (21) clinched a silver medal in the women’s IQFoil windsurfing final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Unbeknown to her, her father, Steven, and two brothers, Michael and Guy, were hidden in the crowd, witnessing her triumph in spite of her request for them not to attend, fearing their presence might overwhelm her on such a grand stage.

“We had to be there,” said an elated Steven this week.

His wife and their other children were watching back home in Israel in the living room of their home in moshav Avihayil in central Israel. The moshav, he said, had never experienced as much excitement as it did last Saturday, 3 August, when Sharon became the first female windsurfer to win an Olympic medal for Israel, a historic moment celebrated by the entire community.

“It’s a dream come true for Sharon,” said Steven, who lived in Glenhazel in Johannesburg before making aliya with his family in 1969 aged five. “We’re all excited about Sharon’s achievement. There’s a huge celebration, with flags and a parade, planned for her return.”

Well-wishers arrived at Ben Gurion Airport in droves to welcome her back, offering respite from a week of extreme tension as rockets flew overhead from Lebanon and Iran threatened retaliation for Israel’s killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Teheran.

“There was already celebration on the moshav last week, with news crews and everyone cheering Sharon on during the race,” said Steven.

Sharon’s coach, Shahar Zuberi, who won a bronze medal in Beijing, guided her to this remarkable victory. Israel clinched three medals that day, including a gold medal for windsurfer Tom Reuveny.

Sailing is Israel’s second most decorated sport following judo. Sharon, whose parents are both olim –her mother, Nurith Dinte, was born in Australia – previously won a gold medal at the IQFoil World Championships, following a silver at the European Windsurfing Championships a year earlier.
In IQFoil windsurfing, sailors fly off the water at high speed, lifted by a foil.

“It’s exciting to watch,” said Steven, pointing out that sailing at such a high level requires enormous determination and hard work.

“Sharon wakes at 07:00 every day, and spends up to three hours windsurfing in all weather conditions. She trains hard in the gym, runs, swims, and cycles. She eats three full meals a day because she burns a lot of energy. It’s a full-time job with physiotherapists, dieticians, a mental coach, and sports doctors.”

After Shabbat last Saturday, President Isaac Herzog called Sharon to congratulate her on her accomplishment. “He told her that she made history as Israel’s first woman to win a sailing medal, and thanked her on behalf of the nation,” Steven said.

Steven was the Israeli national squash champion and for a decade chairperson of the Israel Squash Association. Sharon is the middle child in her family, with two brothers and two sisters. She attended Ramot Yam High School in Michmoret.

Steven said his daughter’s passion for windsurfing started at an early age. She first got on a board at the Michmoret Sailing Club aged 10, and was instantly taken with the sport.

“The club, which is near Netanya, is about 2km from our house and all our kids took to sailing when Michael started as a youngster,” he said.

Soon, Sharon showed signs of talent, and it became necessary for her to choose between athletics and surfing.

“When she was 13, the manager of the club said to me, ‘She’s going to be in the Olympic Games one day.’ I asked him why, and he replied, ‘She can read the sea.’”

Sharon told reporters, “Everyone is windsurfing in Israel. We have a lot of sea, so we’re always out on the water spending time practising. We also worked really hard to get here. It didn’t come easy.”

Said Steven, “She was emotional and said she felt like she was racing for her whole team.”

“I’m writing with tears in my eyes,” Sharon posted on Instagram. “This campaign was a rollercoaster for me. I feel like I’m 12 years old and that maybe I don’t understand what history was made yesterday, especially in this horrible moment in Israel.”

The athlete is said to be taking a well-deserved break.