1957 Maccabiah Games
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| Host city | Tel Aviv, Israel |
|---|---|
| Nations participating | 20 |
| Debuting countries |  Mexico |
| Athletes participating | 980 |
| Officially opened by | Yitzhak Ben Zvi |
| Main venue | Ramat Gan Stadium |
Twenty countries sent 980 athletes to compete in the 1957 5th Maccabiah Games, an international Jewish athletics competition similar to the Olympics.
The presence of many world-class Jewish athletes elevated the quality of competition. The athletes had been housed in the newly built Maccabiah Village.
Mexico sent its first contingent of athletes.
History[]
The Maccabiah Games were first held in 1932.[1]
Notable medalists[]
Abie Grossfeld of the United States dominated the Games, winning seven golds in seven gymnastics events: AA, R, PH, FX, HB, PB, & V.
In fencing, British Olympian and world champion Allan Jay won three gold medals.[2][3] In track, Harry Kane of Britain won the 400 meter hurdles and took a silver medal in the 200 meter hurdles, with a time of 25.3 seconds.[4][5]
In fencing, American Byron Krieger, two-time Pan American Games gold-medal winner, won individual Gold in sabre and individual Bronze in foil.
In weightlifting, Isaac Berger became the first athlete to establish a world record in the State of Israel, pressing 258 pounds (117 kg) in Featherweight competition for the US, a year after winning an Olympic gold medal.
Ben Helfgott, a concentration camp survivor, won the weightlifting gold medal in the lightweight class for Great Britain for the third Games in a row.
Reuven Helman competed in shot-put, javelin, the decathlon and weightlifting. Helman came in second in 1957 in the Maccabiah Games.
Participating communities[]
The number in parentheses indicates the number of participants that community contributed.
References[]
- ^ "The 20th Maccabiah Games: A brief History (Part 1)," The Canadian Jewish News.
- ^ "The Canadian Jewish Chronicle - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
- ^ "Allan Jay". www.jewishsports.net.
- ^ "2 U.S. ATHLETES SCORE IN ISRAEL – Engel Is First in Hammer Throw-Laskau Retires After Winning Walk Israeli Team Leads Matza Misses 800-Heats". nytimes.com. 18 September 1957. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
- ^ "America sets mark". The Leader-Post. 19 September 1957. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
Link[]
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- 1957 Maccabiah Games
- 1957 in multi-sport events
- 1957 in Israeli sport
- Maccabiah Games
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