Sue Bird โ Basketball, USA has won gold with the US womenโs basketball team in the last four Olympics. Bird, now 40, is back for her fifth Olympics.
Linoy Ashram โ Rhythmic Gymnastics, Israel. 22-year-old Ashram is the first Israeli rhythmic gymnast to win an individual all-round medal at the World Championships, gold in the World Cup series and a European all-round title.
Diego Schwartzman โ Tennis, Argentina. Nicknamed โEl Peque,โ or โShorty,โ the 28-year-old is set to play in his first Olympics.
Alix Klineman โ Beach volleyball, USA. Southern Californian Alix Klineman (31) and partner April Ross are ranked no.2 in the world.
Anat Lelior โ Surfing, Israel. (21) qualified as the highest-ranked female surfer from Europe. She won the Israeli national championships aged 12.
Team Israel โ Baseball, Israel. Placed sixth at the World Baseball Classic in 2017, and won the European Championship in 2019 to qualify for the Olympics. Jessica Fox โ Canoe slalom, Australia. Fox (27) ranked no.1 in the world, favoured to win two gold medals.
Eli Dershwitz โ Fencing, USA. Aims to become the fifth US man to win a medal in saber fencing. No American man has ever won gold in the category.
Jemima Montag โ Racewalking, Australia. In 2018 Commonwealth Games Montag won gold in the 20km event.
Ori Sasson โ Judo, Israel. Will compete in the heavyweight and the team competitions. Judo has won five of Israelโs nine overall Olympic medals.
Sagi Muki โ Judo, Israel. This 29-year-old half-middleweight judoka is two-time Israeli national champion, 2019 world champion, and 2017 and 2018 European champion.
Maru Teferi โ Marathon, Israel. Immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia, aged 14. Second Olympics, this time with wife, Selamawit โSelamโ Dagnachew Teferi โ the first married couple to represent Israel at the Olympics.
Ezra Frech โ Paralympics track and field, USA. This 16-year-old, Los Angeles native competes in the high jump, long jump and the 100m race.
Maor Tiyouri, Marathon, Israel. Tiyouriโs second Olympics.
Lonah Chemtai Salpeter โ Marathon, Israel. Kenyan-Israeli runner who ran for Israel in the 2016 Olympics.
Moran Samuel โ Paralympics rowing, Israel. Samuel (39) won bronze at the 2016 Paralympic games, in the womenโs 1000-metre single sculls.
Matthew Levy โ Paralympics swimming, Australia. Fifth Paralympics, at age 34, competes in the freestyle, butterfly and medley races.
Source: The Times of Israel, Emily Burack, 4 July 2021
