Shahar Zubari admits he is desperate to put his disappointment of London 2012 behind him and light up the Olympics in Rio.
Windsurfer Zubari has experienced both ends of the Olympic spectrum. He points out that he arrived at Beijing eight years ago as an inexperienced novice and returned to Israel with a bronze medal.
In contrast, he came to Weymouth for the 2012 Olympics as one of the medal favourites in the Men’s RS-X competition but disappointed with a 19th place finish.
Zubari, 29, remains confident he can recapture former glories. “It’s true I haven’t won a medal in a major event for three years, but I still have what it takes to beat the world’s best, and they know it.”
He over-looked the major tournaments this year in favour of spending an extended amount of time in Brazil. “I’ve been preparing very seriously and very meticulously for this Olympics,” he said.
“The conditions in Rio, where it is winter, are very difficult so I have spent much of the time in recent months out there studying the currents and the winds.
“Familiarity with the conditions will give me an important advantage.”
Zubari overcame Nimrod Mashiah to qualify for his second consecutive Olympics - claiming Israel’s sole berth in the competition - predicts that several of his compatriots will return home with medals.
“This is not only the largest but also the best quality Israeli Olympic squad that I’ve been a part of and I expect there will be a lot of achievements.”
