Shimshon Brokman

Shimshon Brokman (also "Brockman"; Hebrew: שמשון ברוקמן‎; born 16 September 1957) is an Israeli former Olympic sailor.[1] Brokman and Eitan Friedlander won the 1972 420 International Yacht Racing Union (IYRU) Youth Sailing World Championship in West Germany, the gold medals in the 1979 470 European Championships in Spain and the 1980 420 World Championship in France, and a bronze medal in 1983 at the 470 World Championships.

Shimshon Brokman

Brokman in 2008
Personal information
Native name	שמשון ברוקמן‎
Nationality	Israeli
Born	(1957-09-16) 16 September 1957 Tel Aviv, Israel
Height	5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
Weight	154 lb (70 kg)
Sailing career
Class(es)	420 470
Medal record Sailing Representing  Israel 420 International Yacht Racing Union Youth Sailing World Championship 1972 West Germany 420 1974 420 420 World Championships 1980 Quiberon, France 420 420 European Championships 1976 Ireland 420 470 World Championships 1983 Weymouth 470 470 European Championships 1977 Austria 470 1978 Portugal 470 1979 Spain 470 1982 Hungary 470

Early and personal life

He was born in Kibbutz Rosh Hanikra, Israel, and is Jewish.[2][3] Brokman's father represented Israel in two world championship sailing competitions.[3] Brokman lived in Haifa, Israel.[4]

Brokman graduated from the Hebrew Reali School in Haifa, Israel, in 1975, received his B.Sc. in Aeronautical Engineering from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa in 1983, his M.Sc. in Aeronautical Engineering from Technion in 1987, and an Executive MBA from Tel Aviv University in 2006.[5][2] In 1984 he noted:

"You don’t have to be an aeronautical engineer to be a good sailor, but it helps me understand the dynamics of the sailing. For example, when the boat is moving the physics on the surface of the boat has to be re-defined again and again. I find that much of what I learned at the Technion can, in some way, be applied to sailing and has helped me make [fewer] mistakes."[5]

He is married, with three children.[2]

Sailing career

In 1972, Brokman and Eitan Friedlander won the 420 International Yacht Racing Union (IYRU) Youth Sailing World Championship in West Germany.[5][6] In 1974 they won the bronze medal in the same event.[7] Brokman and Eitan Friedlander won the 1976 European 420 Championship in Ireland.[4]

The two of them then won the bronze medal in the 1977 470 European Championships in Austria, the silver medal in the 1978 European 470 Championship in Portugal, the gold medal in the 1979 European 470 Championship in Spain, and the silver medal in the 1982 European 470 Championship in Hungary.[8]

In the 1980 420 World Championships in Quiberon, France, Brokman and Eitan Friedlander won the gold medal.[9] In the 1980 470 World Championships, they came in 5th.[10]

Brockman and Friedlander were set to compete in the 470 sailing event at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, but did not because Israel joined in the US-led boycott of the Olympics prompted by the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan.[3] In 1983, they won a bronze medal at the 470 World Championships in Weymouth, England.[11]

Brokman competed for Israel at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 26 in Sailing.[1] In the Men's 470 Mixed Two Person Dinghy, he and Eitan Friedlander came in 8th out of 28 teams.[12][13] When he competed in the Olympics he was 5-6 (168 cm) tall, and weighed 154 lbs (70 kg).[1]

Shimshon at the '84 Olympic games in Los Angeles

At the 1991 470 European Championship in Norway, he and Guy Brockman came in 30th.[14]

Career after sailing

He has worked for Israel Electric Corporation since 1988, from 2006 as Head of the Fuel Management Department.[2]

References

1. "Shimshon Brokman Bio, Stats, and Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 2020-04-18.
2. "CURRICULUM VITAE"
3. "Brockman, Shimshon"
4. "News Brief". jta.org. 19 August 1976.
5. "Special to the JTA Israel Sets Sail for Olympic Gold". jta.org. 31 July 1984.
6. "Results - 2nd IYRU Youth Sailing World Championships". isafyouthworlds.com.
7. "Medal Tally". isafyouthworlds.org.
8. "Sports 123: Sailing: European Championships: Men: 470". 11 December 2007. Archived from the original on 11 December 2007.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
9. Past 420 World, European and Junior European Champions - 420 Sailing
10. "Yachting". May 1980.
12. "Sailing at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games: Mixed Two Person Dinghy". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17.
13. "Nautical Sports - Shimshon Brokman (Israel)". the-sports.org.
14. "470 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP (for men and mixed crews)"