Tommy Kafri

Tommy Kafri (born October 3, 1976, in Budapest, Hungary) is a sprint track and field athlete, who was a member of the Israeli athletics team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

There he competed in two events. He finished fourth in his preliminary heat of the 100 metres (10.43), but did not advance past the first round. In the 4x100 metres relay, Israel finished sixth in its preliminary heat (39.76), and did not advance; they were officially 26th overall.

Nicknamed "Tommy Turbo", Kafri emigrated to Israel from Hungary in 1986 and became one of the country's top sprinters. In the late 1990s, he was outstanding, breaking the national record in the 100 metres six times in a span of three years.

Kafri, whose personal best in the 100 metres is 10.23 seconds, and 20.89 seconds in the 200 metres, was a member of the 4x100 meter relay team (38.81) which finished ninth at the 1999 World Athletics Championships.

At the same World Championships, Kafri also reached the quarterfinals in the 100-meter (10.36).

He finished 15th in the 200-meter (21.37) at the 1998 European Indoor Championships.

Kafri still holds the Israeli national record in the 200-meter (20.89 -- tied with Gidon Jablonka), a record which he set at the 1999 World Championships.

He was a member of the Israeli 4x100-meter relay team at the 2002 European Championship, but they did not finish their preliminary race.

References

* [http://www.jewsinsports.org/ Jews in Sports]