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Showing 12 of 24 records (filtered from 118)

Olympic weightlifter Isaac Berger during the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games.

JWR VerifiedFounding Record

SportsMost

Most Olympic Medals Won by a Jewish Weightlifter

Record holder

Isaac Berger

Record value

3 Olympic medals (one gold, two silver)

Isaac Berger holds the record for the Most Olympic Medals Won by a Jewish Weightlifter, with a career total of "3 Olympic weightlifting medals (1 gold, 2 silver)". Representing the United States, he competed at three Olympic Games, winning a featherweight gold medal at Melbourne 1956, followed by silver medals at Rome 1960 and Tokyo 1964. The record was set on 12 October 1964, the date of the featherweight competition in Tokyo where he secured his third medal. The International Weightlifting Federation confirms his record of winning three medals at three separate Olympic Games.

Country represented: United States
Achievement location: United States
Achievement date: 12 October 1964

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Historical portrait of Hedwig Rosenbaum, photographed circa 1914–1918.

JWR Verified

Sports · Olympic GamesFirst

First Jewish Woman to Win an Olympic Medal

Record holder

Hedwig Rosenbaum

Record value

Bronze — July 1900

Hedwig Rosenbaum competed in tennis at the Paris 1900 Olympic Games and is credited in recognized Olympic records with two bronze medals, in women's singles and mixed doubles. Historical research, including material published by the Czech Olympic Committee, describes her as coming from a German-speaking Jewish family in Bohemia. These results occurred decades before the Amsterdam 1928 silver medal won by Fanny “Bobbie” Rosenfeld, previously recognized by Jewish World Records under this record ID. The difference is not a new athletic achievement or a recent record-breaking event: it is a correction based on earlier historical evidence. Jewish World Records preserves its former recognition of Rosenfeld in the independent revision ledger, with the sources, decision date and explanation visible to readers. The exact day on which Rosenbaum secured the first of her two bronze medals remains uncertain, so only the year 1900 is asserted.

Country represented: Bohemia
Achievement date: July 1900

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Frank Spellman, Olympic weightlifting champion.

JWR Verified

Sports · Olympic GamesFirst

First Jewish Olympic Champion in Weightlifting

Record holder

Frank Spellman

Record value

10 August 1948

American athlete Frank Spellman became the first Jewish Olympic champion in weightlifting on 10 August 1948 at the Olympic Games in London, United Kingdom. Competing in the men’s middleweight (≤75 kg) category, he secured the gold medal with a winning total of 390 kg. During the event, Spellman also set new Olympic records on his way to victory. The official record value for this achievement is documented as 'Gold — men’s middleweight (≤75 kg), London 1948, 10 August 1948'.

Country represented: United States
Achievement location: London, United Kingdom, United States
Achievement date: 10 August 1948

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Portrait of Olympic canoe champion Leonid Geyshtor.

JWR Verified

Sports · Olympic GamesFirst

First Jewish Olympic Champion in C-2 1,000 m Canoe

Record holder

Leonid Geyshtor (Geishtor)

Record value

Gold — 29 August 1960

Leonid Geyshtor of the Soviet Union became the first Jewish Olympic champion in the men’s C-2 1,000-metre canoe sprint at the Rome 1960 Olympic Games. Competing with Sergey Makarenko, he won the final on 29 August 1960 at Castel Gandolfo, Italy. The pair finished in 4:17.04, recorded by Olympedia as an Olympic best. JWR defines this record specifically for the C-2 1,000-metre event; it does not claim that Geyshtor was the first Jewish Olympic champion in canoeing overall. That distinction matters because canoeing contains multiple boat classes, crew sizes and distances with separate Olympic histories. Jewish sports sources identify Geyshtor as a Jewish Olympic gold medalist, while the event chronology confirms the Soviet pair as the 1960 champions. The measurable record value is therefore their C-2 1,000-metre gold on 29 August 1960.

Country represented: Soviet Union
Achievement location: Castel Gandolfo, Italy
Achievement date: 29 August 1960

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Richárd Weisz and Aleksandr Petrov in the 1908 Olympic Greco-Roman heavyweight wrestling competition.

JWR Verified

Sports · Olympic GamesFirst

First Jewish Olympic Champion in Wrestling

Record holder

Richárd Weisz

Record value

24 July 1908

The first Jewish athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in wrestling was Richárd Weisz of Hungary. He secured the title at the London 1908 Olympic Games by winning the Greco-Roman heavyweight tournament. The wrestling competition ran from 21–24 July 1908, with Weisz claiming victory on the final day in London. His achievement is documented in Olympic history, where he is recorded as having defeated the field to become the heavyweight champion.

Country represented: Hungary
Achievement date: 24 July 1908

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JWR Verified

Sports · Olympic GamesFirst

First Jewish Olympic Champion in Fencing

Record holder

Jenő Fuchs

Record value

Gold — men’s individual sabre, London 1908

Jenő Fuchs, a fencer representing Hungary, became the first Jewish Olympic champion in fencing at the 1908 London Games. He secured this distinction on 24 July 1908 after winning the men’s individual sabre competition. The official record is noted as 'Gold — men’s individual sabre, London 1908'. Fuchs's victory is confirmed by official Olympic results from the event.

Country represented: Hungary
Achievement location: London, United Kingdom
Achievement date: 24 July 1908

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Walentin Mankin with the Soviet Olympic sailing team in Riga in 1976.

JWR Verified

Sports · Olympic GamesFirst

First Jewish Olympic Champion in Sailing

Record holder

Walentin Mankin

Record value

Gold — 21 October 1968

Walentin Mankin of the Soviet Union is the First Jewish Olympic Champion in Sailing, an achievement secured on 21 October 1968. Representing his country, he won the Finn class at the Mexico City 1968 Olympic Games. The sailing events were held in Acapulco, where the seven-race competition concluded on this date, with Mankin confirmed as champion by official Olympic results.

Country represented: Soviet Union
Achievement location: Acapulco, Mexico
Achievement date: 21 October 1968

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JWR Verified

Sports · Olympic GamesFirst

First Jewish Olympic Medalist in Canoe Slalom

Record holder

Joe Jacobi

Record value

Gold — Men's C2 Slalom, Barcelona 1992

Joe Jacobi became the first Jewish Olympic medalist in canoe slalom at the Barcelona 1992 Games. Competing with his partner, Scott Strausbaugh, he won the gold medal in the men's C2 slalom event on 2 August 1992. The competition took place in La Seu d'Urgell, Spain. The specific achievement is recorded as 'Gold — Men's C2 Slalom, Barcelona 1992'. This accomplishment is documented by Olympedia and recognised by the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, which honours Jewish athletes worldwide.

Country represented: United States
Achievement location: La Seu d'Urgell, Spain
Achievement date: 2 August 1992

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JWR VerifiedFounding Record

Sports · Olympic GamesMost

Most Olympic Gold Medals Won by a Jewish Fencer

Record holder

Jenő Fuchs

Record value

4 Olympic gold medals

Jenő Fuchs of Hungary set the record for the "Most Olympic Gold Medals Won by a Jewish Fencer" with a career total of "4 Olympic gold medals". His achievement was established across the London 1908 and Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games. At the 1908 Games, Fuchs won gold medals in both the individual sabre and the team sabre events. Four years later, he repeated this success at the Stockholm Olympics, again securing gold in both the individual and team sabre competitions, completing his achievement on 18 July 1912. This total of four official Olympic gold medals is the highest verified for a fencer satisfying the JWR Jewish Eligibility Standard. The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Olympedia both record his four wins, and an independent counter-search confirmed no eligible Jewish fencer has won more.

Country represented: Hungary
Achievement location: Hungary
Achievement date: 18 July 1912

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Adriana Behar at a public event in 2005.

JWR Verified

Sports · Olympic GamesFirst

First Jewish Olympic Medalist in Beach Volleyball

Record holder

Adriana Behar

Record value

Silver — Women's Beach Volleyball, Sydney 2000

Adriana Behar became the first Jewish Olympic medalist in beach volleyball at the Sydney 2000 Games. Representing Brazil with her partner Shelda Bede, Behar secured the silver medal in the women's tournament. The final match was held in Sydney, Australia, on 25 September 2000, officially confirming their result.

Country represented: Brazil
Achievement date: 25 September 2000

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Ágnes Keleti, Jewish Hungarian-Israeli Olympic gymnast, portrait in 2021

JWR VerifiedFounding Record

Sports · Olympic GamesMost

Most Gold Medals Won at a Single Summer Olympics by a Jewish Woman

Record holder

Ágnes Keleti

Record value

4 gold medals at Melbourne 1956

Ágnes Keleti of Hungary established the record for the most gold medals won by a Jewish woman at a single Summer Olympics during the 1956 Games in Melbourne, Australia. Her achievement is recorded as "4 gold medals at Melbourne 1956". These four victories came in the artistic gymnastics events for balance beam, uneven bars, floor exercise, and the team portable apparatus. This performance remains the highest single-Games gold medal tally for a Jewish female athlete in the Summer Olympics.

Country represented: Hungary
Achievement location: Melbourne, Australia
Achievement date: 1956

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Ágnes Keleti
Sue Bird

JWR VerifiedFounding Record

Sports · Olympic Gamesmost / joint holders

Most Olympic Gold Medals Won by a Jewish Woman

Record holder

Ágnes Keleti&Sue Bird

Record value

5 Olympic gold medals each

Ágnes Keleti and Sue Bird are the joint holders of the JWR record for the most Olympic gold medals won by a Jewish woman, with five gold medals each. Keleti won five Olympic gymnastics golds across the 1952 Helsinki and 1956 Melbourne Games, as part of a ten-medal Olympic career. Bird won five consecutive Olympic basketball gold medals with the United States from Athens 2004 through Tokyo 2020, reaching her fifth on 8 August 2021. JWR’s comparison reviewed documented Jewish women Olympic champions across sports and found no eligible athlete with more than five official Olympic gold medals. Because the two athletes reached the same verified maximum through different sports and eras, the record is held jointly rather than broken by secondary criteria. The record value is therefore five Olympic gold medals each, with Bird’s fifth gold establishing the current tie.

Country represented: Hungary & United States

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