5 Interesting Facts About Israeli Judo Bronze Medalist Yarden Gerbi

Yarden Gerbi nabbed Israel’s first Olympic medal this year.

By Veronika Bondarenko August 11, 2016

The Israeli judo fighter Yarden Gerbi made worldwide headlines after she won bronze in the under-63 kilogram weight category in Rio on Tuesday and secured the country’s first Olympic medal since 2008. While Gerbi celebrates her victory over France’s Clarisse Agbegnenou, here are five other interesting facts that you (probably) didn’t know about this 27-year-old athlete.

1) Pins and Needles

A stalwart fan of acupuncture, Gerbi is certainly not afraid of having needles stuck into her body — she’ll often go to sessions prior to her games and post photos of it on her Instagram account.

I feel better now ?

A photo posted by Yarden Gerbi (@yardengerbi) on Nov 11, 2013 at 11:48pm PST

2)How Many Names?

The judoka has more than one nickname — friends and family members call her Jordan, Gerb or Denush, a diminutive form of “Daniel,” according to her profile on FightSports.

3) What Was The Question?

Fame in the sporting world often manifests itself in unusual ways — in Gerbi’s case, this meant seeing her face appear as a question in a crossword puzzle alongside Israeli singer and TV host Gidi Gov.

Judo fighter Yarden Gorbi was featured in an Israeli crossword puzzle. Image by Instagram

4) Education

Before she was an Olympic medalist, Gerbi was a student. She studied economics and management at Open University of Israel, a distance-education college.

5) Pass The Puzzle Piece

Gerbi is also interested in putting together regular puzzle pieces in her spare time — preferably ones that combine her passion for Judo as well.

A photo posted by Yarden Gerbi (@yardengerbi) on Oct 20, 2015 at 3:38am PDT

Contact Veronika Bondarenko at bondarenko@forward.com or on Twitter, @veronikabond.

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