Tamar Steinberg, 20, won gold today at the IQFoil World Championship, held in Weymouth and Portland, UK. Sharon Kantor, runner-up at the Paris Olympics, completed a double Israeli achievement with silver, while Daniela Peleg finished fourth.
Steinberg was the standout figure in the competition from start to finish. She opened the championship perfectly with four consecutive wins in the first four races, finished the qualifying stage in first place, and held the lead throughout the competition days. The world championship win adds to the European championship title she recently claimed and the silver medal from the previous world championship.
Kantor, 23, added another medal for Israel after an impressive campaign that began in 16th place in qualifying and ended in second. Kantor, who won silver at the Paris 2024 Olympics and was crowned world champion in 2024, returned to the final this time and secured another podium spot for Israel. Stella Bilger of Australia finished third.
Daniela Peleg also came close to a medal. The European champion in 2024 and 2025 staged a significant comeback during qualifying, jumping 17 places on the third day from 31st to 14th, and continued from there into the top ten and qualification for the medal rounds. Peleg finished second in both the quarterfinal and semifinal, but had to settle for fourth in the final.
Israel’s success among the women stood out especially because three Israeli riders qualified for the final, guaranteeing Israel two medals in advance.
In the men’s competition, Tom Reuveni, the Paris 2024 Olympic champion, was stopped in the semifinal. After the first heat was re-sailed due to an error discovered in the results, Reuveni also advanced to the repeat semifinal but finished third and did not make the final.
