Gal Fridman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Gal Fridman

Israeli Olympic gold medalist Gal Fridman in 2004
Personal information
Born	(1975-09-16) September 16, 1975 (age 49) Karkur, Israel
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	68 kilograms (150 lb)
Other interests	Cycling [1]
Sport
Country	Israel
Sport	Sailing
Event(s)	Mistral
Club	Sdot Yam
Coached by	Mike Gebhardt
Retired	2008
Achievements and titles
World finals	(2002)
Regional finals	(1995, 2002)
Olympic finals	(2004)
Highest world ranking	1st (Mistral, 2003) 25th (RS:X, 2007)
Medal record Sailing Representing  Israel Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens Mistral Bronze 1996 Atlanta Mistral World Championships Gold 2002 Pattaya Mistral Silver 1996 Haifa Mistral Bronze 2003 Cádiz Mistral European Championships Silver 1995 Isle of Wight Mistral Silver 2002 Neusiedlersee Mistral Bronze 1997 Murcia Mistral Bronze 2001 Marseille Mistral
Updated on 8 August 2012.

Gal Fridman (born September 16, 1975) is an Israeli windsurfer. He is famous for being Israel's first ever Olympic gold medalist!

Gal won a bronze medal at the Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics. Later, he won a gold medal at the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics. He is one of only two Israeli athletes to win two Olympic medals. His first name, Gal, means "wave" in Hebrew.

He was born in Karkur, Israel. Today, he lives near the water in Sdot Yam, which is a nearby kibbutz (a special type of community in Israel).

Gal Fridman's Early Life and Career

Gal Fridman grew up in Karkur, Israel. He is the second of three children. His parents are Dganit and Uri Fridman. He has an older sister, Maayan, and a younger brother, Yuval.

Because he grew up close to the Mediterranean Sea, Gal's father introduced him to windsurfing. Gal started sailing when he was seven years old. He began racing when he was 11. He competed in youth events around the world while still in school. After serving in the Israel Defense Forces, he started competing as an adult.

In 1995, Gal won the ASA Boardsailing Championship in Eilat, Israel. In 1999, he won the International ASA Windsurfing Championship, also in Eilat. In 2002, he won the Mistral World Championship in Pattaya, Thailand. He was ranked No. 1 in the world by the International Sailing Federation in February 2003.

1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta

At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Gal Fridman won a bronze medal for Israel. This was in the Olympic Sailing Windsurfing Event (Mistral Men's Windsurfing category). Because of this amazing win, he was named Israeli Sportsman of the Year!

2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney

Even though he was doing very well in the years before, Gal did not get to represent Israel at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. He did not win the Israeli Olympic Trials that year. Another windsurfer, Amit Inbar, competed for Israel instead and finished 7th.

2004 Summer Olympics in Athens

Gal Fridman with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon after the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.

Gal Fridman was in great shape leading up to the 2004 Olympics. Many people thought he would win a medal for Israel. He trained very hard for two years before the event. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, Gal competed again in windsurfing. This event had 11 races.

His coach was Michael Gebhardt from the U.S. Michael was also an Olympic windsurfer who had won silver and bronze medals in past Olympics.

Gal's scores in the races were:

(Note: In sailing, your worst race score is usually not counted.)

In the very last race on August 25, 2004, Gal finished in 2nd place after a tough fight. He used a smart move when the Brazilian leader, Ricardo Santos, made a mistake. Gal beat the Greek windsurfer Nikolaos Kaklamanakis. He ended the Olympic competition with the lowest score of 42 points. In Olympic sailing, the lowest score wins! This amazing win secured his 2004 Olympic gold medal in windsurfing.

Gal Fridman won Israel's first ever Olympic gold medal! He dedicated his medal to the memory of the 11 Israeli athletes who were tragically killed during the 1972 Summer Olympics.

Final Results for Windsurfing:

• 1st: Gal Fridman – Israel (Gold medal)
• 2nd: Nikolaos Kaklamanakis – Greece (Silver medal)
• 3rd: Nick Dempsey – Great Britain (Bronze medal)
• 4th: Ricardo Santos – Brazil
• 5th: Przemysław Miarczyński – Poland

2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing

Before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Gal Fridman found it hard to get used to the new Olympic windsurf board model, called the RS:X Neil Pryde. He also had some problems with his equipment during important races. Because of these challenges, he did not qualify for the 2008 Israeli Olympic Sailing Team. Shahar Tzuberi took his place and went on to win a bronze medal for Israel that year.

Later Years: Cycling and Coaching

Gal Fridman loves cycling! In 2005, he won a gold medal in the Israeli cycling championship. In 2007, he won the Men's Windsurfer New Year International Regatta in Limassol, Cyprus.

After 2008, Gal stopped competing in windsurfing. He decided to focus on coaching new, talented Israeli windsurfers. He helped Nimrod Mashiah win a silver medal at the 2009 World Championship.

He also coaches Tom Reuveny, who became an Olympic champion! Tom won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics in windsurfing. This happened in Marseille, France.

Gal Fridman is also a Vegan.

Hall of Fame

In 2005, Gal Fridman was honored by being named to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Achievements

See also

• List of Olympic medalists in sailing
• List of World Championships medalists in sailing (windsurfer classes)
• List of select Jews in sailing
• Israel at the Olympics
• Sports in Israel