Mum of three Bloch-Davidov secures berth for Rio

CYCLING SHANI Bloch-Davidov pedalled into sporting history after becoming the first Israeli cyclist to qualify for the Olympic Games.

Heading for Rio and the 130km Women’s Road Race on August 7, Bloch-Davidov has achieved a dream that became a reality following her re-entry into the racing scene.

The popular and experienced cyclist first came to prominence when she placed high in the under-23 category of the 2000 Giro D’Italia Femminle stage race in Italy.

Based in Lucca, Italy, for a year, she joined professional teams racing there and in the USA and Canada, as well as the San Remo World Cup and in the World Championships in France and Belgium.

A four-time Road Champion of Israel, Bloch-Davidov rejected a tempting professional contract in Italy, retired in 2004 and returned to her studies at Wingate Institute – Israel’s National Centre for Physical Education and Sport.

After resuming competition in 2014, she married and now has three young daughters. The family recloated to Scotland where Bloch-Davidov recently placed second in the short 42-miles race at the Road Race Championship of Scotland, despite a fall that left her with a bloodied knee.

Seeking more Olympic qualifying points, she competed overseas in a number of events including 14th overall in the three-stage Tour of Thailand. This was followed by another fine performance in Finland which confirmed her place in the Israel squad for Rio.

Now, at 37 years, she expressed her thanks to friends and family for their help and encouragement, singling out her husband, Shai. She went on to address her sponsors and the Cycling Federation of Israel, together with the coaches, staff and the rest of the Women’s National Team and said: “After Rio we must look ahead to Tokyo 2020.”

Bloch-Davidov was named Team Leader for Israel’s National Women’s squad, which formed in 2004. The squad competed in internationals in Italy and Russia and it hosted three international UCI races in Israel.