Historic Achievement for Team Israel at the Veronica Cup in Slovenia: Five Finals in One Day!
- Israeli Archery Association
- May 27
- 3 min read
The Israeli national archery team wrapped up an exceptional performance at the Veronica Cup in Slovenia, reaching five finals in a single day — an unprecedented achievement for Israel in a World Ranking Event.
Mikaella Moshe and Shamai Yamrom led the Israeli delegation to individual finals, while three more teams advanced to medal matches at this prestigious competition.
Mikaella Moshe, the Olympic archer from Maccabi Tel Aviv, continued her steady post-Paris momentum and claimed gold in the women’s recurve division. Ranked 39th in the world, Moshe placed 11th in qualifications with 638 points but significantly stepped up in the elimination rounds. She defeated Marta Aznar Tajo of Spain (6th seed) 6:4 in the round of 16, overcame Elizabeth Straka of Austria 6:2 in the quarterfinals, and beat Hungary’s Lili Orkany 6:2 in the semis. In the final, she faced Slovakia’s Denisa Barankova, securing a commanding 6:2 victory to take home the gold medal.
Moshe reflected:"Hearing Hatikvah twice in one day at such a major competition filled me with indescribable pride. This is what being an athlete is about — this is my mission. On a personal note, this was the first time I stood on the podium twice in one event. Another big checkmark on this journey.”
Shamai Yamrom, compound archer from Maccabi Rishon LeZion, also reached the final after a consistent performance that began with a 4th-place qualification. In the elimination rounds, he delivered tight wins against three opponents before meeting top-seeded Tim Jevsnik of Slovenia in the semifinals. After a 148:148 tie, Yamrom shot a perfect 10 in the one-arrow shoot-off to advance to the gold medal match. There, he faced India’s Parthamesh Behlchandra Fuge. Both archers shot another 148:148 tie and scored perfect 10s in the shoot-off, but the Indian’s arrow was judged to be closer to the center, earning Yamrom a well-fought silver medal.
Yamrom also reached another final in the mixed compound event with Alma Ifergan of Maccabi Tel Aviv — a category set to debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Ranked 6th in qualifications, the Israeli duo had a challenging path to the final:
Quarterfinal win over Romania (152:151)
Dramatic shoot-off win over Slovakia after a 153:153 tie (shoot-off score: 20:19)
Semifinal victory over France (148:147)In the final, they fell to Croatia 157:150, taking home silver — Israel’s first-ever mixed compound medal in such an event.
Yamrom shared:"I’m very happy to return to the gold medal match here for the second year in a row. I’m really pleased with my shooting — this is excellent preparation for the World Games and World Championships later this year. The silver with Alma in the mixed team feels like a huge step forward in our road to LA 2028, and it shows we’re on the right path, at the right pace."
Two more team medals rounded out the delegation’s remarkable performance:
The Men’s Recurve Team — Itay Shanny, Eyal Roziner, and Roy Dror (from Maccabi Tel Aviv, Maccabi Rishon LeZion, and Kochav HaSharon respectively) — took gold. After leading qualifications with 1993 points, they beat Croatia in the quarterfinals (5:3) and dominated Spain and Slovenia 6:0 in the semifinals and final, respectively.
The Mixed Recurve Team, Michaela Moshe and Eyal Rosiner, earned silver after ranking third in qualifications. They defeated the UAE in the round of 16 (5:4, 19:17 shoot-off), Qatar in the quarterfinals (5:1), and second-seeded Moldova in a tight semifinal (5:4, 18:16). In the final, they fell to Great Britain 5:1. Notably, the quarterfinals included an unsportsmanlike incident when the Qatari archers refused to shake hands with the Israeli team.
The Veronica Cup is one of the key World Ranking Events in international archery, hosting over 300 participants from 30 countries. With five medals won, this marks Israel’s most successful outing ever at a single international event — a major milestone for Israeli archery.
The silver in mixed compound holds special significance as the category prepares for its Olympic debut in Los Angeles 2028. Israel is emerging as a growing force on the world archery stage.
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