Razvozov, Yoel

Sport:
judo

Country Represented:
Israel

Years Competed:
2004

Olympic Info:
Razvozov kicked off his under-73 kilogram Olympic campaign, in Athens 2004, with a bang. On August 16, he met Cuban Rubert Martinez in the round of 32, after receiving a bye in the round of 64. Ten seconds into the match, the aggressive Israeli wreaked an Ippon onto his stunned opponent. In the round of 16 he faced Frenchman Daniel Fernandes, one of the premier judokas in his weight class. Yoel started the match against Fernandes (ranked 2nd in the world), with uncharacteristic caution. However after a minute he began a series of aggressive moves which culminated in a Koka for the Israeli. Razvozov was excellent from that moment on, but lost on a controversial Ippon call with 2:47 to go. Thanks to the success Daniel Fernandes enjoyed in following matches, Razvozov won a spot in the consolation rounds. His first opponent was Jianhua Xie of China. Yoel was up by a Waza-ari when after 2:33 minutes he was awarded an Ippon. The Israeli was finally eliminated by Leandro Guilheiro of Brazil. Razvozov was ahead two Yuko's to Guilheiro's Koka, but the Brazilian won on an Ippon with 45 seconds to go.

Razvozov represented Israel in the 2004 Athens Games and was part of the impressive judo team (in the under-73 kilograms class) Israel had put together. He was extremely excited about making the Sydney squad and says: "in 2000 I was young and was an Olympic sparring partner. Now it's my turn." He was less certain about his prospects for a medal: "in Beijing 2008 I will be in my prime but in 2004 I will also do my best." Razvozov was not expected to make the criteria for 2004, but his success at the 2004 European Championships catapulted him into the squad. He represents the Petah Tikva judo club.

Career Highlights:
Yoel became serious in his pursuit of judo excellence in Russia, at the tender age of six and continued after his family immigrated at age 11. He was on the fringes of the Israel judo team before his stellar performance in the 2003 World Championships in Japan, where he came in 7th. That same year he took 5th place in the European Championships held in Dusseldorf. In 2004 Razvozov finished 3rd in three different Super A-tournaments. The greatest achievement of his career however, was in the 2004 European Championships held in Bucharest. He beat David Papaux of Switzerland within seven seconds in the first round, and proceeded to beat his next three opponents with quick ippon's before succumbing to Kioshi Uematsu of Spain. The silver medal performance guaranteed Yoel a place in Athens.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. July 5, 1980

Origin:
Russia

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