Shai Kakon (also Shay Kakon; ; born 5 November 2002) is an Israeli Olympic sailor. She was the 2017 European

Laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word ''laser'' originated as an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radi ...

4.7 Youth U16 Girl Champion, and World

silver medal A silver medal, in sports and other similar areas involving competition, is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, ...

ist. She was then the 2019 Youth Sailing World Championship Laser Radial Girls silver medalist. She competed for Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She won the 2022 European U21 Championship. Kakon represented Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics in sailing in Sailing/Laser Radial in

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

, France, in which she came in 24th.

Early life

Kakon was born and lives in

Hadera Hadera (, ) is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel, in the northern Sharon plain, Sharon region, approximately 45 kilometers (28 miles) from the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. The city is located along 7 km (5 mi) of ...

, Israel.

Sailing career

Her club is the Sdot Yam Sailing Club in Israel. As a child, Kakon began sailing with the Optimist model. Her coach is Erez Eliyahu.

2017–20; U16 European Girl champion

At the 2017 Laser 4.7 Youth World Championships, Kakon won the U16

, in Nieuwpoort, Belgium. She won the

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

in the 2017 European Laser 4.7 Youth Championships, becoming the new U16 European Girl champion, in Los Alcázares, Spain. At the 2018

Laser Radial The Laser Radial or ILCA 6 is a popular one-design class of small sailing dinghy, originally built by Laser Performance and World sailing approved manufactures. It is a singlehanded boat, meaning that it is sailed by one person. The Laser Rad ...

(ILCA 6) Youth European Championships Women's U17, Kakon won the silver medal, in Balatonfoldvar, Hungary. In the 2019 Youth Sailing World Championship – Laser Radial Girls, she won a

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receives ...

Gdynia Gdynia is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With an estimated population of 257,000, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in the Pomeranian Voivodeship after Gdańsk ...

, Poland.

2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics

Kakon represented Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in August 2021, at 19 years of age, competing in

. She placed 30th overall, and therefore missed the final round. She placed second in the 9th race, and fifth in the 10th race.

2022–present; Paris Olympics

In 2022 she became the European U21 Champion, winning the 2022 ILCA U21 European Championships in Lac d'Hourtin-Carcans, France, ahead of Marilena Makri of Cyprus in a race with 61 competitors. At the 2022 Youth World Championships in Gdynia, Poland, Kakon won the bronze medal. In February 2024 at the 2024 ILCA 6 Women European Championships & Open European Trophy/PARIS2024 Olympic qualification in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, Greece, Kakon came in 16th. She won the fifth race. Kakon represented Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics in sailing in Sailing/Laser Radial, in

, France, in which she came in 24th.

References

External links

* * * * * 2002 births Living people Israeli female sailors (sport) Jewish Israeli sportspeople Olympic sailors for Israel People from Hadera Sailors at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Laser Radial Sailors at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Laser Radial Sportspeople from Haifa District 21st-century Israeli sportswomen {{Israel-yachtracing-bio-stub