Sue Bird First Israeli To Win Gold
Israeli Hope: Sue Bird may be the only Israeli citizen who wins a medal in London. Too bad she?s playing for the U.S. Image by getty images
So far, no Israeli athlete has captured a medal, although one Israeli citizen is likely to change that before the end of the Games. The only thing is, she’ll do it in an American uniform.
As the United States continues to cruise toward a gold medal in women’s basketball, Sue Bird is coming closer to her third gold medal. The U.S. team plays France for the gold medal on Saturday, Aug. 11.
The star guard from the WNBA’s Seattle Storm won gold with the U.S. in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008, and with the Americans rolling past the opposition under her old college coach (Geno Auriemma from University of Connecticut), Bird is likely to add a London gold to her collection.
The U.S. women’s team routed France 86-50 in the final Saturday, winning their fifth straight Olympic gold medal.
Bird, the daughter of a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother, has held dual citizenship with Israel since 2006. Her Israeli passport makes it easier for her to play in Europe during the WNBA’s offseason, avoiding the quotas many leagues have on Americans. Bird has played in Russia for the past eight seasons, the last six for Spartak Moscow Area.
A three-time selection to the All-WNBA First Team and a two-time WNBA Champion with the Storm, Bird continues to play at an elite level professionally – she’s averaging 13.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game with the Storm – but on a loaded U.S. team, she takes a backseat to the likes of Diana Taurasi, Angel McCoughtry and Tina Charles in the scoring department. Bird is averaging just over five points per game heading into Saturday night’s gold medal game against France.
Bird, who was raised in her mother’s religion, played high school basketball for New York prep powerhouse Christ the King, and splits time between the U.S. and Russia.
She might not be the kind of Olympic medal representative Israelis had in mind as the games began. However, the 2012 Games have been a disappointment for Israel, with several hopefuls crashing out. While Israel still has athletes competing in rhythmic gymnastics and the men’s marathon, Israel may have to take what it can get when it comes to Olympic medals.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
