Lee Korsitz

A champion sailor, at the age of 19, Lee won the 2003 World Women's Mistral Championship title in Spain. 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."

Korsitz also competed in the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and ranked 13th overall in the Mistral event.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. March 25, 1984

Career Highlights:
Korsitz was raised in the Michmoret Kibbutz, where she was given leave of the usual rural chores to concentrate on her unique talent. She is a soldier in the Israeli Army, and has been given special permission by the IDF to train for the upcoming Olympics.

The Israeli underdog went into the World Women's Mistral Championship ranked 29th among the competitors. The unheralded Korsitz took advantage of a mediocre opening by world champion Barbara Kendall of New Zealand to win the first race by a wide margin, and Lee kept her lead throughout the competition. Following an impressive comeback, Kendall was within striking distance in the 11th and final race, but finished 27th in the final round as Korsitz won by a single point. The victory makes Lee the first Israeli woman to win a world title in an Olympic sport.

Lee was considered a top medal prospect in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. However, she suffered a disappointing start and never really met the lofty expectations of the Israeli press. She was unable to break into the top ten placed in any of the races until race nine, by which time she had lost far too much ground to make up. Korsitz improved somewhat in her last three races, placing 7th in race nine (1:32), 10th in the penultimate race (3:54) and 12th in the final sail (3:39). Lee placed 13th overall and was very disappointed with her performance.

Origin:
Kibbutz Michmoret, Israel