Subscribe to Print Edition | Tue., July 07, 2009 Tamuz 15, 5769 | | Israel Time: 02:05 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
Haaretz Toolbar
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Car Rental
Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Focus U.S.A. Travel Week's End Anglo File
Share |
Windsurfing / Zubari returns to Israeli reality
By Uri Talshir and Rami Hipsh

Shahar Zubari is an athlete of a different cut, the kind that arises here once in a generation. It not just the medals in Beijing and on Gordon beach. It's the quiet charisma and the mischievous character, which occasionally bursts out from his radiating face.

On Saturday, after winning the European championship, he drank champagne, was thrown into the water by his friends from Eilat, and basically looked drunk with joy. Less than a day later, he was back in focus.
Advertisement

"It comes from the home," explains the new champion. "My father was also very laid back, and I'm simply like that - I know that if I do what's needed, the rest will follow. Meanwhile, I see things are working out. The team that has been with me the entire way, and those around me are very professional, and I have no need to worry."

When he sailed last week, he felt like he did in every other tournament, but he felt the change when he approached the beach and returned to the marina.

"I didn't see anything while I was in the water," he recalls, "but when I returned from the water, all the fans, friends and family both near and far were there. Each time I got a dose of reality, telling me the competition was basically at home."

For most of the week, most of the people on Gordon beach were focused more on the pubs, the paddle ball and the sand castles than on sailing.

"There's nothing you can do about it," admits Zubari. "Sailing is a sport that's a little hard to follow." However, on Saturday, in honor of the medal round, hundreds of spectators spread across the breakwater and cheered the hero of the moment.

"Surfers whom I compete against and spend all my time with abroad, coaches who have worked for 10 years and have been in competitions across the globe - everyone was simply amazed by the amount of people and media interest," says Zubari.

"It's the difference between Israel and other countries. In France and Spain there's soccer, tennis or Formula 1, and sailing is pushed aside. With us, it's front and center in Israeli sport."

In all matters related to results, sailing is really at the top. However, public interest and curiosity can vary widely.

"I'm trying to win and be open with the media as much as possible, but at the end of the day what interests the viewers at home is soccer," says Zubari. "In sailing, there are competitions of this magnitude only a few times a year, and between them it's pretty dead. Even if you want to, there's nothing to write about. So, people will keep following soccer until the next time."

For years Israeli surfers fought for the lone ticket to the Olympics. Amit Inbar made way for Gal Fridman, who handed the baton to Zubari. The Eilat surfer knows his time will come, too.

"I admire Fridman and Inbar a lot," he says. "They started an amazing tradition, and I'm continuing it. The day will come when a young surfer will beat me, but I don't think about that now, it's still far off and I haven't reached my peak yet."

Zubari looks ahead, but modestly. He says the championship is no doubt a breakthrough he really wanted, but it doesn't guarantee anything in the future. "London 2012 is a very far off goal," he cautions. "Of course it's on my list of goals, but to get there you need to take it one step at a time. I met my first goal this year; now I'll go home and prepare for the next - the world championship."

The surfer also has another pursuit in mind: a college education. "It's not clear yet what I'll learn, but I believe it will be related to sports, because it's important to develop that and continue the tradition," he says.
PROMOTION: Mamilla Hotel
Bookmark to del.icio.us  
 
Iran strike
Lieberman : It's up to Israel to decide on how it manages nuclear threat
Holy rocks
Was a recently uncovered quarry used to build Jerusalem's Second Temple?
Special Offers
Advertisement
hotel Jerusalem
David Citadel Hotel, come stay at the finest of Jerusalem hotels.
ISRAEL ARMY SURPLUS STORE
IDF insignia,Uniforms, Paladium Boots Watches, Israel Army T-shirts & Collectibles
Dead Sea Skin Care
Quality cosmetics from the Dead Sea. Coupon code HAARETZ for 12% off!
Eldan Rent a Car
Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on online reservations
Junkyard
Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt
More Headlines
23:56 U.S. denies giving Israel 'green light' to strike Iran
00:15 Israel summons EU envoy over settlements criticism
18:42 Livni: Netanyahu doesn't really believe in two-state solution
23:58 Barak: Progress in talks with U.S. over settlements, but still a way to go
19:00 Lieberman: Sarkozy's remark was a 'regrettable' verbal slip
23:35 This is what is wrong with a Jewish state
17:02 Noam Shalit to UN: My son's abduction sparked Gaza turmoil
22:16 WATCH: Daily news round-up from Israel
14:42 Hamas accuses Fatah of spying for Israel in Gaza
20:39 German Jews urge boycott of Formula One over chief's Hitler remarks
16:50 'Migron outpost will be emptied within year, by force or by consent'
20:33 Egyptians cry racism in pregnant woman's slaying in Germany
17:38 Was a recently uncovered quarry used to build the Second Temple?
17:38 Palestinian youngsters make music in former prison
Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Site rules |
| Israel 2009 election results | Makom: Engaging on 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