Ofri Yacobi – Gold Medalist at EYOC 2025

Historic Gold for Israel: Ofri Yacobi Wins EYOC Sprint

(photo: Pavlína Pecoldová)

At the 2025 European Youth Orienteering Championships (EYOC) in Brno, Czechia, 17-year old Ofri Yacobi achieved the unimaginable: Israel’s first-ever medal — and gold — at a major international orienteering event.

Ofri stopped the clock at 13:14, crossing the line in disbelief:  “I didn’t expect something like this — maybe in my dreams. I was hoping for top six, and suddenly I was first. It’s still overwhelming, but it also raises a lot of expectations for the future.”

A year ago, competing in W16 at EYOC, she placed 30th in the forest and 15th in the sprint. Already known in Israeli athletics as the national U18/U20 record-holder in the 2,000m steeplechase, she has successfully transferred her speed and endurance onto the map. “I love the forest more,” she admits, “but sprint suits me because of athletics — you need to think fast, every second counts.”

“We recognized Ofri’s talent about two years ago,” said national youth coaches Bar Kalkstein and Rotem Yogev. “Since then she’s made huge progress — physically, thanks to her track training, and technically, through intensive post-race analysis, orienteering training, and international training camps in Italy, Czechia, Sweden, and Austria. Thanks to the support of Israel Orienteering Association for women’s orienteering, we were able to provide Ofri with full professional, physical, and mental preparation.”

On EYOC opening day’s forest race, Ofri made history with Israel’s best-ever EYOC placing — 26th out of more than 100 competitors. But the real breakthrough came in Saturday’s urban sprint, where she delivered a near-flawless run. Moving steadily up the results board, she outpaced athletes from the sport’s strongest nations. None of the top-ranked runners who started behind her could match her time, and when the dust settled, Yaakobi stood as European Champion.

According to Itay Manor, head coach of the Israeli national team: “For us this is a historic moment. Until now, our best international result was 6th place — never a medal. Ofri is an amazing athlete with sky-high motivation. She dreams big, and with the support of the Israel Orienteering Association, Ayelet, and Athena, we’ve been able to help her reach this milestone. I’m still in euphoria, it’s hard to believe.”

Ofri’s win had extra resonance in Brno — some 30 Israelis teenagers attending the Silva orienteering training camp, where Ofri was also a coach, were at the arena to cheer her on and witness the gold first-hand.

Looking ahead, the Israel Orienteering Association plans to build on this success: “This needs to be a starting point, both for Ofri’s own development and for the entire team program,” says Manor. “It’s especially meaningful that our first medal came from a woman — it’s a strong boost for women’s orienteering in Israel.”

Ofri’s run in to the finish and analysis of her win.
(video EYOC 2025, Czech Orienteering)

 

Ofri, at right, on the podium with shared-2nd place winners. (photo EYOC 2025, Eszter Kocsik)