Olympic Sailing 2024: Tom Reuveny Captures Gold for Israel in Men’s iQFOiL
Tom Reuveny delivered a stunning performance in the Final to secure a gold medal for Israel in the Men’s iQFOiL windsurfiing event at the Olympic Sailing 2024. Despite not winning any races in the Opening Series, Reuveny saved his best effort for the decisive moment, crossing the finish line ahead of the competition.
Luuc van Opzeeland from the Netherlands and Sam Sills from Great Britain advanced to the Semi-Final race with impressive finishes in the Quarter-Final. Van Opzeeland continued his strong performance by winning the Semi-Final, earning his spot in the Final. Reuveny finished closely behind him, securing his place in the ultimate race.
In the winner-takes-all Final, Reuveny joined Australia’s Grae Morris and van Opzeeland. Reuveny showcased his skill and determination, overtaking his rivals to claim the gold medal.
Reflecting on his victory, Reuveny said, “I have so many emotions. I’ve put in so many years of hard work, and I had the perfect Medal Race. I only had to win one race in this event, and I won the most important one. I knew I had to get a good start as Luuc and Grae are super-fast. I used what I learned throughout the years and all the medal races that I’ve lost to make this one into a win.”
Morris shared his thoughts on the race, saying, “That was an epic race, super fun. I was pretty nervous before, but the longer we waited, the more I settled and thought about what we were going to do. It’s going to be a while before we get to experience this again, and I think the wait made it worth it. I made a few mistakes and just tried to keep my head clear and take my next opportunity to do what I could. I took everything I’ve done, everything I’ve trained for, and put it into that moment. It could have gone better, but I’m super happy, so no regrets at all.”
Van Opzeeland expressed his satisfaction with his performance, stating, “I’m pretty stoked about winning two races to get to the final. I had a bit of overspeed today. I managed to have clear starts and accelerate away. In the first race, I rounded first, and then there was less wind for me than the guys behind me, but I managed to do a good layline there. In the second race, I managed to control the whole thing. I think the Netherlands has a very strong team, and we have sailors sitting at home that would have done fantastic here. That’s the reason why we’re so good.”
