Lydia Hatuel-Czuckermann (Hebrew: לידיה חטואל-צוקרמן; born August 15, 1963, in Casablanca, Morocco) is an Israelifencer. One of Israel's top female fencers, she competed in the individual foil event at the 1984, 1992, and 1996 Olympiads. Her fencing career started at the age of 8, she maintained an international ranking until 2004,[2][3] and she still competed at the national level in 2012.[4]
Early and personal life
Hatuel-Czuckermann was born in Casablanca, Morocco on August 15, 1963, one of nine children born to Jewish Moroccan parents. The family immigrated to Israel, making aliyah, later that year, living in a housing project in Acre, Israel.[5] Inspired by their father's interest in fencing and general athletics, she and her siblings trained together, ultimately reaching Olympic status as adults. Though the family was close-knit, several of them fell into criminal activity, most notably, her brother Uri Hatuel and later, Uri's son Kobi, both of whom have been charged by Israeli authorities for drug trafficking.[5]
Hatuel-Czuckermann first won the Israeli national title in 1979, when she was 16. She eventually won the title more than 20 times, including 16 consecutive years, and was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.[5][6]
At the 1996 Atlanta Games, she was Israel's flag bearer.[7] She was seeded number 12, had a bye in Round One, won her first match in Round Two over Felicia Zimmerman of the US, but lost 15–13 in Round Three to two-time team silver medalist number 5 seed Monika Weber-Koszto of Germany. She finished in 13th place. She also competed in the team foil event, along with Ayelet Ohayon, Lilach Parisky, and Ira Slivotsky. The Israelis, who were seeded number 9, lost to China in the first round (29–45), but defeated the United States (45–39; with her defeating Zimmerman and Suzanne Paxton).[1] They finished in 9th place.[6]
World Championships and World Cup
Lydia Hatuel Czuckermann - Olympic Fencer
In 1991, she finished 8th in the World Championships, and in 1996 she was ranked 8th in World Cup.[8]
In 1996, right after the Atlanta Olympics, she was among the founders of the Israeli Olympic Athletes Committee, and retained her membership until 2009.
Between 2004 and 2009 she was a member of the Olympic Committee of Israel.[11] From 2010 to 2012 she served as Chairman of the Israeli Fencing Association.[12][13] In 2012, she was Director of Sports Activities for Acre.[14][15]
Politics
In 2012, she was among the organizers of the Gilad Shalit Cycling for Peace ride.[16]
Academics
She published an article in the field of ADHD - "Hyperactivity\Impulsivity Amelioration Effects of a Fencing Training Program on Children Diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder", at DISCOBOLUL; Physical Education, Sport and Kinetotherapy Journal (October–December 2016).[17]
Family
Hatuel-Czuckermann has been married to Robert Czuckermann since 1989 and the two have four children together, sons Idan,[18] Matan,[19] and Niran,[20] and daughter Lihi. With the exception of Lihi, all of her children are competitive fencers with the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime.[21][22] Other notable members of her family include her brother, Yitzhak Hatuel, and her niece, Delila Hatuel, both of whom are fencers.[23][24]
