Korsitz, Lee

Sport:
sailing

Country Represented:
Israel

Years Competed:
2004

Olympic Info:
Korsitz finished her first mistral race of the 2004 Games, held on August 15, in 15th place. She clocked in at 3:42 after spending the entire race around the middle of the pack. Lee was 15th again in her second race of the day, with a better time of 3:17. The sailing event has been troubled by fierce winds, but the third mistral sail went ahead (after initial postponement) on August 17. Lee finished 12th taking 5:08 minutes to complete the course. Korsitz failed to improve her performance in the fourth race, despite an improvement in conditions. She finished 17th, while clocking in at 3:41. In Lee's fifth race she claimed the 12th place (2:51) and eighth in her sixth (1:40). Korsitz was unable to break into the top ten on August 21 as she finished the seventh race in 14th place (3:43) and the eighth race in 12th place (2:34). Lee enjoyed her best day of sailing on August 23, as she finished 7th in race nine (1:32) and 10th in race ten (3:54). In her last race, the Israeli ranked 12th (3:39) and after 11 races her final ranking was 13th.

Korsitz was a member of the Israeli Olympic sailing team in the Athens 2004 Olympics in the mistral saling event. A champion sailor, at the age of 19, Lee won the 2003 World Women's Mistral Championship title in Spain and was therefore among the favorites to win the gold. She says she has always been in the sea since she can remember but only started concentrating on mistral at the age of 13. Korsitz certainly has a winners attitude, and when asked if she is nervous she replies: "I'm not nervous, I just have a burning desire to win." Lee trains under coach Gur Steinberg.

Career Highlights:
Korsitz was always considered a promising talent but her rapid ascent has caught everyone by surprise. In 2002 she entered her first World Championships in Austria and came in 23rd. However later that year Lee hinted at her talent with finishing 7th place in the European Championships. Yet she caught the sailing world unprepared with her World Championship victory in Cadiz 2003. Upon winning, the champion said: "My brother called me half an hour after my victory because his unit was going into Jenin. He told me how proud he is. My mom had two kids in battle that day. I won mine, and I hope my brother comes home in one piece to win his." They both won their personal battles.

In 2004 she narrowly missed out on another World Championship medal, coming in fourth, and only three points out of third place. She showed she is still among the elite by winning a pre-Olympic tournament in Greece. Though Korsitz promises she is absolutely fine, an injury in the bottom of her foot could hinder Lee's prospects.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. March 25, 1984

Origin:
Kibbutz Michmoret, Israel

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