Moki with his medal
Photo: Oren Aharoni
Israeli judo champ takes gold at European Games
Sagi Moki becomes first Israeli gold-medalist in Baku's European Games after 19 years training with Olympic medalist Oren Smadja.
Israel took home its first gold in the European Games in Baku on Friday, thanks to the efforts of Judo
master Sagi Moki (73 kilograms). Yarden Gerbi (63 kilograms) took to the podium as well with a bronze medal after being defeated in the semi-finals.
Moki, 23, who lives in Netanya, has been the protégé of the Olympic medalist and coach Oren Smadja since he began training at age four.
Moki proved his worth as an international competitor last year when he won the Baku Grand Slam as the Havannah Grand Pri while coming in second at the Düsseldorf, Astana, and Jeju Grand Pris.
His victories launched his career, putting him in second place in world-wide rankings. He is currently ranked seventh before taking into account Friday's victory.
