"I am proudest of him, but I want to be known for my own merits": Arik and Noam Zeevi in a joint interview

In the modest cafeteria at the Tel Aviv velodrome, two generations of the Zeevi family meet. On one side is Arik, an Olympic medalist, European champion, and one of the greatest judokas in the history of Israeli sports. Opposite him sits his eldest daughter, 17-year-old Noam, who began her path as an outstanding artistic gymnast, and later made a surprising transition to athletics — and even there she has already managed to become one of the sport's great prospects, as the Israeli youth champion in the 100m hurdles and heptathlon. The three of us crowded around a small table, over a cup of coffee, for a conversation about sports, fatherhood, and what lies between them.

"From a young age, I was in the Olympic experience with Dad in judo, and I always saw the gymnastics hall nearby, the girls with the apparatus, and it really intrigued me," says Noam, who next month will start 12th grade at the Yitzhak Shamir High School in Tel Aviv, with a daily routine of an athlete in every sense. "I said I wanted to come for a trial training — and I just fell in love with the sport. My grandmother was also a gymnast, she was Israel's 'rubber girl.' At first, I still combined judo and gymnastics, I trained twice here and twice there, but when gymnastics became serious and I started training five-six times a week, it clashed with judo, and I chose gymnastics."

Dreaming of Brisbane 2032

Noam, 1.71 meters of athleticism, continues: "I was in gymnastics for seven years. It is a very demanding sport. It is not rhythmic gymnastics, but it is still a very tough sport. At some point, I got injured after crazy training loads. I reached seven-eight training sessions a week, sometimes two sessions a day, and each lasted four-five hours. Eventually, I had wear and tear on the growth plate in my hand, and I couldn't use my hand for a whole year."

Arik: "I didn't die for her to stay in gymnastics, but she loved it very much and was also good. It's hard to leave something you succeed in. That summer, during the break, I asked Roman Kogan, the athletics coach, to give Noam some tests. She jumped high and long, we entered her data into the country's results database, and suddenly we saw that she was fourth in the country in high jump, without ever having trained in it, and sixth in long jump. Noam realized she had it."

Noam's transition from the closed and Sisyphean gymnastics hall to the open track in athletics was not simple. "My role model was Simone Biles," she says, and Arik recalls with a smile: "I went especially to her podium training at the Tokyo Olympic Games, I filmed a video for Noam from there, and she was actually annoyed with me for disturbing her in the middle of the training."

Noam: "I saw myself reaching the highest levels in gymnastics. I was the best by a gap in my age, I already went to a training camp in Finland, but then I moved to athletics. I started with high jump, then my coach wanted me to try pole vault. After a year, I moved to hurdles and joined a new group that focuses on it. This summer I reached first place at the Maccabiah for girls under 20, and at the Israeli adult championship, I already finished third."

What is your goal in the hurdles, a sport that is not yet considered particularly strong in Israel?

"This year I am moving to the youth category, and my biggest goal is to achieve the criteria for the European Championship under 20, even though I will be among the youngest there. My personal record is 14.52 seconds, and I need to get down to 14.10. To do that, I must improve my speed by improving my technique."

And the big dream is the Olympic Games?

"I don't want to set such a far goal for myself now. I prefer to focus on constant improvement, especially because only this year I moved to a coach who focuses on hurdles and I feel this is the year I can really progress. I was only ten hundredths away from the criteria for the Balkan Championship. What I love about athletics is that everything is very measurable and depends on you. In judo and gymnastics, there are also judges. Here there is no one who likes you or doesn't like you — the clock decides."

Arik, if Noam comes tomorrow and says: 'That's it, I'm quitting', how will you react?

"I won't be upset at all. My children have already received from sports what was important to me that they receive — the ability to deal with pressure, discipline, and perseverance. Its added value, both on a social level and on a personal level, remains for life. I also see how it reflects on studies and on the way Noam conducts herself. How she prepares for exams, how she analyzes situations, how she deals with successes and failures. From my point of view, she has already earned what she needed to earn."

Noam, how much did the legacy of your father, an Olympic medalist and European and World champion, influence you?

"To tell the truth, I almost didn't see videos of him competing. I was at many of his lectures, and I love them. Every time I learn something new from them."

Arik, so that's how the inspiration was missed at home?

"To tell the truth, they didn't know my career at all. My son, Amit, today 15 years old, until second grade didn't even know I won an Olympic medal. In the previous house, my medals weren't there at all, only when we moved to the new house did they get a place. As far as they were concerned, I was mainly a dad who coaches judo. I didn't want to burden them. I was always afraid that when you push children too much in a certain direction, it might do exactly the opposite. I didn't want to 'poison' them from a young age."

You compete in one of the flagship sports of the Olympic Games. How connected are you to athletics?

"It's an amazing sport. It has so many disciplines, and every type of athlete looks completely different. I compete in the heptathlon, so I do hurdles, high jump, long jump, javelin throw, shot put, 200-meter run, and 800-meter run — which is just a nightmare for me."

And in the end, you chose to focus on hurdles. Why not, for example, the 100-meter run, perhaps the most prestigious discipline?

"I don't like it," Arik throws in with a smile. Noam laughs: "Dad always says it's mainly about who is taller and who is stronger."

Arik explains: "In sprint runs, the genetic component is very significant. The less technical the sport is and the more it is based on natural abilities, the harder it is to improve. It's not for nothing that you see who reaches the Olympic finals. In hurdles, on the other hand, there is a very large technical component, and there one can develop and progress much more."

"I trust Noam and her choices. My role is to give her a back and be there for her. Also in the modeling world, we accompany her. At the beginning of the way, my wife, Ravit, would go with her to all the shoots, but after she was injured and underwent surgery following a fall on the way to the MAMAD (protected space) during the war, I stepped into the role."

Noam already has a clear role model. "It's the American Masai Russell. She is just crazy. Los Angeles 2028 is still far from me. I will be only 19 then, and that is a very young age in athletics. If to dream, then Brisbane 2032 sounds much more realistic. Dad also started his Olympic career in Australia, in Sydney. In hurdles, one usually reaches the peak around age 25, so if I continue to develop, this can definitely be the goal."

Giving her tips precisely in modeling

Noam is not only one of the great promises of Israeli athletics. At 17, she is already ranked among the top in the country in the hurdles run, excels also in shot put — and simultaneously builds herself another career as a model. "I am represented by the ITM agency. I started modeling at a young age, and later I decided to return to it more seriously. I really enjoy this world and feel that it can be combined with sports. In the end, it doesn't come at the expense of training. Of course, sometimes I say 'no' to jobs that are worth a lot of money, because training is more important to me, but there is no doubt that this is a world I love very much."

Arik, how are you with the whole modeling world? Aren't you a bit conservative about these things?

"It turns out I'm not that conservative," he smiles. "She has also had a boyfriend for a year."

Noam, tell me.

"He is a serious athlete. We met on the athletics track. His name is Tomer Alok, Israeli champion in pole vault. His mother was also an Israeli record holder, and now he has started competing in hurdles as well."

So let's go back for a moment to the conservative. I know you from the Pardes Katz streets.

"I trust Noam and her choices. My role is to give her a back and be there for her. Also in the modeling world, we accompany her. At the beginning of the way, my wife, Ravit, would go with her to all the shoots, but after she was injured and underwent surgery following a fall on the way to the MAMAD during the war, I stepped into the role."

Noam laughs: "You don't understand how fun it is to hear Dad say he trusts me. It excites me every time anew. It gives me confidence, and it's just fun."

If you were asked today what you are more — a model or an athlete?

"An athlete, without thinking twice. I did some campaigns, for example with Natasha Denona at Sephora, with Neta Alchimister's brand for the Bananhot sportswear collection, and also with Patneray. But in the end, sports is the most important thing to me. There everything depends on my investment. Of course, it's fun for me to model, but I feel that in this world there is also a matter of connections and nepotism. In sports, I feel that I earned everything honestly. Every achievement is mine."

Arik, what do you mainly warn her about as an athlete who has been through everything?

"I don't warn about anything special. She is already a professional in every sense, and will be an outstanding athlete. In athletics, there is no federation politics — there is a result, and according to it, your status is determined. Actually, my tips are more related to the modeling world. Offers are constantly coming to her, and I tell her that priorities are a must. I believe that if she stands out as an athlete, her value as a model will also rise."

Noam, is Dad's shadow felt?

"Only in a positive way. There will always be places that recognize him, and I am most excited and proud of it. But I also want to be known for my own merits. I don't feel like I'm 'the daughter of'. As far as I'm concerned, it's not a shadow, it's my dad, and I am proudest of him in the world. Beyond that, his tips are worth more to me than anything else."

Arik, give an example.

"From a very young age, I made sure to praise her for the effort, not just for the result. I remember once she won a gymnastics competition and said to me: 'But Dad, I also won.' I said to her: 'I know, but I would have told you exactly the same thing even if you hadn't won.' It is important to me that she understands that the path is no less important than the medal.

"Before competitions, we listen to music together. I always tell her to focus on performance, not on the result. She says to me: 'Dad, I must be the best,' and I answer her that she doesn't have to do anything. She just needs to do her best, without loading unnecessary pressure on herself. And also, unfortunately, as an injury expert, I am her first address. If something hurts her, I know how to guide and help."

Tell me, has the athlete in you been released, or when you see Noam preparing for competitions does it still tickle?

"I really enjoy coaching. I even think I am more suitable to be a coach than an athlete."

Noam smiles: "I don't know how he was as an athlete, but I know exactly how he is as a coach. I see how much he cares about his athletes. I am not in judo, but at home, I see him sitting and watching them compete abroad, happy with them, angry for them, writing them notes. He lives it."

"She is much more serious than me."

Do you see something of yourself in her?

"She is much more precise than me, and much more serious at her age than I was. I used to go head-first into a wall. She is much more calculated, and in athletics, this is an excellent trait, because it is a very precise sport. I think she got good genes, but she also has something that I'm not sure can be taught — rhythm. She has an extraordinary sense of rhythm, and in hurdles, this is a huge advantage."

Just like a dance. Noam smiles: "Totally. It's clear to me that if I weren't in sports, I would be a dancer."