Israeli judoka Sagi Muki made history Wednesday when he became the first Israeli to win the gold medal at the the Judo World Championship finals in Japan, defeating Belgian opponent Matthias Casse.
Muki had previously competed with Casse and even overcame him five times, including one in the final in Abu Dhabi, but he had never won a medal at the prestigious World Championships.
Muki defeated an Egyptian opponent in the semi-final, who refused to shake Muki's hand after their match. An Iranian judoka had refused to compete against Muki in the earlier rounds.
Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev congratulated Muki for his historic achievement by saying: "Our Sagi has filled us with joy and pride after demonstrating a perfect day and spectacular casts."
"Just one before the Olympic Games, in the main hall where the Olympic competitions will take place, Our guy proved to be in peak form, overpowered his rivals and brought tremendous respect to his winning the gold medal.
Minister Regev, also referred to the Egyptian opponent's lack of sportsmanship in the semi-finals, who refused to shake Muki at the end of the loss, saying: "The Egyptian athlete's refusal to shake hands with Muki in the semi-finals is unfortunate and disappointing and no longer has room on the mat where sports connect. Fairness is a supreme value and athletes are a role model for the younger generation."
Prime Minister Netanyahu tweeted his congratulations: “Champion of the world! Great Sagi Muki -- you brought a lot of honor in pride to us all.”
Muki is now the top-ranked judoka in the world and is expected to compete in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo next year.