The decorated windsurfer Nimrod Mashiach unexpectedly announced last summer that he is coming back from retirement at the age of 34 and that he will try to get the ticket to the Olympic Games by surfing on the new IQ Foil model. Today (Monday) he received a significant boost for his trip to Paris, in the form of a new sponsor, the Cargo Emerford Group, which will assist him on his way to achieving his goal.
The sponsorship that will be granted by the Emerford Cargo Group, one of the leading companies in the field of international shipping and logistics, will be for two years, until the Olympic Games, which will be held in the summer of 2024.They met Mashiach about seven years ago, when we agreed to help them with adventure sports activities at the children’s home in Givat Ada, accompanied and supported by the Cargo Emerford group for many years.
Mashiach retired from competitive sports in 2016, after losing to Shahar Zubri in the fight for the single ticket to the Olympic Games in Rio. This was the fourth time in his career that Masih lost in such a battle for the spot in the Olympic Games, after in 2008 and 2012 Tzuberi was the one who got the ticket. That is, Mashiach is making a fifth and probably last attempt to get an appearance at the Olympic Games, this after winning three medals at the World Championships – silver in 2009 and bronze in 2010 and 2011.
This time, too, he really does not have an easy life, when the one who represented Israel in Tokyo and finished in fourth place, the surfer Yoav Cohen, will surely strive to participate in the games once more, when Yoav Omar and Tom Reuveni also make up a strong team. Mashiach took his first steps in his comeback last September when he finished 11th in the Israel Championship. The one who trains you the chosen one Today he is Gal Friedman, the one who competed against Mashiach and Zubri for the Olympic ticket in 2008 and has already coached Mashiach in the past. Zuberi himself moved to the coaching position and leads the women’s team these days.
Nimrod Messiah He said: “Four years ago, after the shocking moment of retirement, the thought did not occur to me that I would ever return to the Olympic arena as a competitor. Only then did I realize the great price that the Olympic journey exacted from me for almost two decades. Since then, I have gone through a deep process of building a new identity in order to continue to the next chapter of my life – working with people. When team coach Gal Friedman approached me and suggested that I return to the Paris 2024 campaign on the new surfboard, I got a rare opportunity to choose this path again and to clarify the essence from which I operate – to dare to see the podium as a platform and not the end of the road“.
Regarding the new sponsorship, he added: “Cargo Emerford is a wonderful example of an organization that is entirely based on people and giving. The connection to this organization felt natural to me from the first second. I am proud to represent this amazing organization, and I know that I have arrived at a real home, for which I am grateful and greatly appreciate.”
The directors of Cargo Emerford said: “The children’s home in Givat Ada takes in children from the age of 4 to 18 who were forced to leave their families for various reasons, and the surfing lessons that Nimrod Mashiach gave to the children, and through them – the belief in their ability to face challenges and navigate their lives – like the surfboard – with determination, perseverance and strength of will, were a source of joy and inspiration for the children and for all of us. Therefore, it was only natural that we happily responded to Mashiach’s request for guidance and support, on the way to courageously fulfilling the ambition to represent Israel in the Olympic Games, and the team’s employees are already enjoying these days, the lectures and workshops that Nimrod delivers through his personal story about personal empowerment , dealing with challenges and faith along the way”.