About Ariel Ze'evi
Ariel "Arik" Ze'evi (Hebrew: אריאל "אריק" זאבי; born 16 January 1977) is an Israeli retired dan 6 black belt in judo. He had a long and successful career competing in half-heavyweight judo competitions. He won an Olympic bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in the men's 100 kg judo competition. == Biography == Ze'evi is Jewish, and was born and raised in Bnei Brak, Israel, a predominantly Orthodox Jewish city in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. While growing up, he trained in the local judo club in his neighborhood, together with his older brother, Roni, who was also the club's first local gold medal pioneer after having finished first in the national Israeli Judo Championships. Ze'evi, heavily influenced by his brother and his accomplishment, began training intensively, and at the age of 15 won his first national competition in the adult class, becoming the country's youngest champion ever. Despite the lack of advanced training facilities, Ze'evi continued training in his local club and steadily closed the gap to world class level, and began competing abroad. In his personal life, Ze'evi obtained a LLB degree from Reichman University (formerly Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya) in Herzliya. He also hosted a sports television show for the Israeli Broadcasting Authority. == Judo career == Ze'evi won a bronze medal in judo in the –95 kg at the 1997 Maccabiah Games.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.