Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., August 01, 2008 Tamuz 29, 5768 | | Israel Time: 02:33 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Nofar Edelman sails along to China - and sails alone By Rami Hipsh The entire Israeli sailing delegation to the 2008 Olympics Games left for China earlier this week. Six Israelis are currently preparing for the Games in Qingdao; only Nofar Edelman has remained behind in Sdot Yam. "It was entirely my choice," she is quick to point out. "Some athletes prefer to arrive a month before the tournament, and there are others who arrive later. I preferred not to arrive in China so early." Advertisement But there's no need to worry about Edelman: she's quite used to the solitude. As a child, she decided to sail in Rosh Hanikra, where her father, Uri, is manager of the aquatic center. As a child who always preferred the loneliness of the sea, she preferred to compete in one-person events, until she fell in love with the Laser Radial, a class of small sailing dinghy built by Vanguard Sailboats that is neither very well known in Israel nor very popular. She traveled alone to tournaments across the globe until at the last World Championships a year ago in, she made her great lead forward. No one really expected it, but Edelman (who usually finished somewhere between 20th and 40th) took full advantage of her familiarity with the Portuguese site where the competition was held, her relationship with local coach Xabi Gonsago and, primarily, the strong winds which she prefers - and finished seventh. In doing so, she also met the Olympic criteria and booked her place in the 2008 Games. But because the seventh-place finish was far beyond what she is used to, the Israeli Olympic Committee wanted to see some signs of stability in her performances. After a year of uncertainty, she finished 26th in the most recent European Championship, held a month ago in Belgium. While the performance was far from impressive, it was enough for the IOC. "It's not easy living with the feeling that I have to prove myself each time anew," she says. "But I was able to keep the weight of expectation out of my mind, and to accomplish what I set out to do. I decided that I would just try to do the best I can at the European Championships - and not allow the pressure to get to me." Alone among the waves With just over a week before the start of the Games, Edelman has no coach - she trains alone among the waves off the Sdot Yam coast. "The Laser Radial is very common in Europe," she explains, "because it is cheap and convenient, but very few people have heard of it in Israel. There is an excellent coach at the Sdot Yam club - Erez Eliyahu - who accompanied me to the European Championships, but now he has taken over training the youth team, and he's with them at the European Youth Championships now." The truth is that she will not exactly be alone in Qingdao. She flies off to China on Saturday, where she will meet up with her new coach. "There some Russian coach who's supposed to be helping me during the Games, but I've got a feeling that the most I will get from him is in dragging my boat to the water. He hardly speaks English and I don't speak any Russian. We'll just have to wait and see how we get along." According to Edelman, "the only reason that I won't have a coach in China is because the Israel Olympic Committee did not submit enough requests for entry visas, so they had to tell one coach he couldn't come. They decided it would be my coach. I understand the decision - because there's more chance of getting a medal in the 470 or the windsurfing. I will just have to take the attitude that I'm there to do my best and, hopefully, surprise everyone again." Edelman decided to wait to join up with the rest of the delegation because "I just don't feel at home there. The weather, the air pollution at the sailing site - although I understand that it's much worse in Beijing - and the local culture - it's a totally different world for me. Almost no one there speaks English, the mentality and the behavior of people there are very different. The fact that I don't have a coach also means that I would have no one to talk to there. I'm afraid that I would get homesick very quickly." Edelman was able to finish seventh in Portugal because of the strong winds there, but those conditions are unlikely to be present during the Olympics. "I have improved a lot in that area," she says, "and I am continuing to make progress all the time. I have been working hard for an entire year in weaker winds and I hope that my effort will come to fruition at the Olympics." Edelman will celebrate her 26th birthday on August 19. On the same day, the top 10 competitors in the Laser Radial division will race against each other. "I hope that I will do enough by then to be in competition on my birthday, otherwise it really won't be a happy birthday at all. Actually, no: I will celebrate anyway. Look, I hoe to make it to the final, but I am realistic and I know that I am not one of the leading candidates for a medal. I will do the best I can, and I know that in the sea - unlike in the pool or the on the running track - anything can happen." Bookmark to del.icio.us   'Weeds' whacking The Showtime series has steered away from Jewish stereotypes - until now. Stepping stones Hizb ut-Tahrir, which calls for a worldwide Islamic state, marches through Gaza.

Read & React Olmert: I'll quit once new Kadima leader chosen Responses: 139 ANALYSIS / Crushed and battered, Olmert finally broke Responses: 53 Gideon Levy: Top IDF officer should be tried for mass killing, not petty ATV incident Responses: 131 Hamas' Christian convert: I've left a society that sanctifies terror Responses: 287 Abbas: I'll continue to work toward peace with any elected Israeli prime minister Responses: 58 More Headlines 20:56 Abbas: I'll work toward peace with any elected Israeli prime minister 01:40 Livni: All parties that support peace must unite under Kadima 22:47 Abbas orders release of Hamas men arrested in West Bank 02:30 Hezbollah threatens 'practical measures' against Israeli overflights 00:58 Students describe 'reign of terror' in Hebrew U.'s sociology department 01:36 ANALYSIS / Better reporting contributes to perceived climbing U.K. anti-Semitism 21:48 Obama helps U.S. woman fight Palestinian husband for their daughters 01:55 Kibbutz Kfar Giladi, relatives of fallen IDF troops come closer to ending dispute 01:43 War crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic appears at UN court 01:18 Gaydamak to be indicted for fraud and money laundering 12:59 Hamas' Christian convert: I've left a society that sanctifies terror 22:27 ANALYSIS / Ehud Olmert failed in war and failed in peace 16:36 Despite sanctions, German firm closes 100m euro deal with Iran 19:43 Watchdog group to court: Don't let state delay payment to Holocaust survivors 17:39 Israeli envoy to Croatia condemns Nazi war criminal's funeral Previous Editions Select Day 31 jul 30 jul 29 jul 28 jul 27 jul 25 jul 24 jul 23 jul 22 jul 21 jul 20 jul 18 jul

Special Offers Advertisement Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. MBA in Israel in English APPLY NOW! Limited spaces available Israel's Premier Real Estate Website www. israel-property.com Yossi Avrahami Presents: New Luxurious Projects in North Tel Aviv & Eilat Your vacation starts here Israel Travel Center Guaranteed Lowest Rates Hebrew Summer courses From $39.95 ISRAEL BONDS Build Israel Israel bonds - a multi-purpose way to celebrate Israel's 60th Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel

birthright Israel | Search engine marketing

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved