21-year-old Michaela Moshe has become Israel's first-ever female Olympic archer, securing her spot in the Paris 2024 Games. But her path to Olympic glory is far from conventional.
Just two years ago, Moshe was a reserve member of Israel's rhythmic gymnastics team, watching from the sidelines as her teammates clinched gold at the European Championships. Frustrated and seeking a new direction, she stumbled upon archery almost by accident, as reported by Ynet.
"I had no idea archery even existed as a sport in Israel," Moshe confesses. In a twist of fate, she attended a tryout session at the Wingate Institute. Within minutes of picking up a bow, she stunned coaches with her natural talent. "I just turned my elbow the right way, and everyone got excited. They said it usually takes people a long time to learn that, but I did it in a second," she recalls with a hint of disbelief.
From that moment, Moshe's rise in the archery world has been nothing short of meteoric. Within months, she was breaking personal records and competing internationally. Now, she's ranked 34th in the world and heading to the Olympics.
But this fairytale journey hasn't been without its challenges. Moshe battles through intense training sessions under the scorching Israeli sun, a far cry from the air-conditioned gymnastics halls she once knew. She's also nursing three tears in her shoulder.
"If someone had told me two years ago this is where I'd be, I would have laughed," Moshe says. Yet here she stands, on the brink of making history as Israel's pioneering female Olympic archer.
As Paris 2024 approaches, Moshe's ambitions soar higher than her arrows. "I want to make it to at least the quarter-finals," she declares confidently. "I want to make even bigger history than just being the first woman."
