Pole vaulter to become Israeli citizen

After winning gold at this past summer’s Maccabiah Games and receiving offers from Israeli athletic officials, the 30-year-old Chicago native decided to become an Israeli citizen.

She said: “It seems Israel is much more supportive of its athletes than the United States, where there are so many who compete at so many different levels.”

Efraim Zinger, secretary-general of the Olympic Committee of Israel said recently that: “Israel may need to pick from the diaspora if it’s to have greater success at the Olympics. If a particular sports federation wants an athlete with Jewish roots we hope they are drawn in by the ‘family sentiment’ of being in Israel.”