Watching the gold
medal ceremony for Gal Fridman was a truly surreal experience.
As the Israeli flag was raised and the national anthem, the
Hatikva,
played, all of the Israelis in the crowd sang the words. And it did
not
matter that they sang completely out of pace with the music – this was
Gal’s – and Israel’s – moment.
As I watched Gal standing on the podium, I had
two principal thoughts:
1. I am so proud of him, and of Israel!
2. Boy, doesn’t he look like a cross between
a young Ray
Romano and Jerry
Seinfeld!
And speaking of pride, what other emotion can convey how I
feel about Gal for this:
After crossing the finish line,Fridman pumped his fist, took
a
victory dip and then wrapped himself in an Israeli flag when he
emerged
from the water. Later, he promised to take
his
gold medal to the memorial in Tel Aviv for the 11 Israeli athletes and
coaches killed after being seized by a Palestinian terrorist group at
the 1972 Munich Games.
(Photo courtesy of Reuters)
1. Ditto
2. Hell no! He’s GORGEOUS!