SMOOTH SAILING: Shahar Tzuberi won Israel?s first medal in Beijing on August 20.

Great Britain’s eight-man rowing team, which includes Jewish powerhouse Josh West, won silver in an impressive effort against the world champion Canadian team. Though Great Britain made up a lot of ground in the final stretch, the Canadian team started strong and never lost the lead.

SMOOTH SAILING: Shahar Tzuberi won Israel?s first medal in Beijing on August 20.

Deena Kastor, an American runner who won a bronze medal in the 2004 Athens games, dropped out of the marathon after breaking her foot just 20 minutes into the race. As an American record holder, Kastor was considered the best female American marathoner in the run-up to the race.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Chilean tennis star Nicolas Massu, who won gold in the 2004 Athens Olympics, defeated Belgium’s Steve Darcis in the first round of the men’s singles, but then lost to the Russian team in the first round of the men’s doubles and was defeated by David Nalbandian of Argentina in the second round of the men’s singles.

As for the Israelis, promising tennis star Shahar Peer, ranked 18th in the world, lost to Ukraine’s Vera Zvonareva, who is ranked 11th, in the second round of the women’s singles tennis event. Though Peer has competed in such prestigious international competitions as the U.S. Open, the French Open and Wimbledon, Beijing was her Olympic debut.

Windsurfer Shahar Tzuberi, one of Israel’s best hopes for an Olympic medal, made a less-than-stellar start when he dropped to third place overall in the RS:X Men’s windsurfing competition after finishing seven races, placing sixth in his sixth sail and 19th in the seventh sail.

But he won the bronze at the August 20 Neil Pryde finals, earning Israel’s first medal in Beijing.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount