When Lihie Raz qualified to the Tokyo Olympics at the 2019 World Championships, it was a surprise for many, including herself, as she told HaAretz:
“Of course it was the goal but it was a bit of a surprise because I didn’t yet know that I was capable of it. It made me believe in myself more and see what I’m capable of achieving.”
Israel hasn’t sent a female gymnast to the Rio Olympics and, when Ofir Netzer got injured, it seemed likely they would not have a WAG gymnast in Tokyo either. The Israeli Olympic Committee has additional internal qualification rules for athletes and Raz, due to her age and lack of experience, was not designated as an Olympic hopeful ahead of Worlds. This meant that she needed to fulfill additional criteria – she had to place no lower than 12th on bars, beam, or floor, or in the first two halves of the competitors on vault at the European Championships. This would have been more challenging at fully attended Euros, so the pandemic created a more favorable situation for her. Not only Raz placed in the top 8 on floor in qualification, she ended up winning bronze in the final – the first ever senior WAG medal at Euros for Israel.
She felt relieved when her Olympic spot was finally confirmed:
“It was really a feeling of relief for me. I came to this competition with the goal of fulfilling the criterion and everything that was in addition to that was a gift.”
Because she was not originally designated as an Olympic hopeful, she was not allowed to train during the first Israeli lockdown in the spring (unlike Alexander Shatilov and Artem Dolgopyat who continued training). But overall, the pandemic gave her extra time to prepare for both Euros and the Olympics:
“The coronavirus [pandemic] has two sides. On one hand, in terms of time, it did work in my favor – I had more time to train. On the other hand, I didn’t train during the first lockdown. I trained at home but it’s incomparable – it’s not the same thing. Also in terms of competition readiness, this was the first major competition I participated since the start of the pandemic, it’s a different kind of dealing with the pressure.”
Raz wasn’t even thinking about going to the Olympics at the beginning of the quad. She was only 13 and switched to the elite track for the first time:
“When I started training, I was not in the elite-bound competitive group. It was only in the seventh grade, when I switched to the Olympic track and started elite training, so this [going to the Olympics] was very far”.
She admits that some things were challenging when her training hours increased:
“There were things to give up – studies, friends. It takes more time and you need to invest a lot in it.”
She started training at the age of six:
“My coach, Moran Klafner, would visit kindergartens and select girls. She came to my kindergarten when I was six and I started training.”
Until recently, Israel had just one fully equipped gym suitable for elite training. World and European medalists Shatilov and Dolgopyat had to share it not just with the women’s national team but also with recreational kids. Several more gyms were renovated and got new equipment recently, including the gym in Ramat haSharon where Lihi Raz has been training.
“Before that, we had a gym that was not professional enough and it was difficult to progress with the equipment that we had there. Now it’s the same equipment that’s used at [international] competitions.”
She’s currently in her senior year of high school:
“it’s very important for me to put a lot of effort in my studies as well. Gymnastics is in the first place, that’s obvious, but I manage to combine it with studies successfully and they really help me in school. They truly support me and help me with anything I need. The offline classes are coming back now, but I haven’t gone back yet. It was more convenient for me when the school was via Zoom, because it’s more flexible and fitting the training hours.”
Euros was the first competition since the 2019 Worlds but she felt ready:
“We had a mock competition at home and I worked on my mental state, so I think I came prepared. Of course, it’s a different kind of pressure [than in internal competitions], and I was stressful at first, but I think I managed to get a handle on it.”
The absence of many top gymnasts made it mentally easier fo her:
“It probably does take a bit of pressure off, because I know that many strong gymnasts couldn’t come, but in any case, I came to do what I know and to compete the best way I can, regardless of other gymnasts.”
“Since floor is my strong event, I know what I can do there and I approach it with more confidence. I get to enjoy the routine and do my best. On floor, with all the dancing, there’s a big part that feels like a show, so I need to give the best show I can.”
“My score in the qualification was better and maybe, with this score, I could get into the final at a regular competition. The score in the final was actually low because my routine was not as good, I could have done it much better. But the rest of the girls in the final also had low scores.”
“I surprised myself a bit [with the bronze]. It’s always there in my head that I could get there, but I didn’t know how likely it was to happen. I could have gotten a higher score as well, it wasn’t my best routine.”
She hopes to continue training until the 2024 Olympics:
“I strive to represent the country well [in Tokyo], gain experience, and be prepared for the 2024 Olympics.”
