In 2025, Alona Ben Natan became the first Israeli woman to win an international bike championship when she claimed the FIM Bajas World Cup’s Women Trophy. On Wednesday morning, she visited Isaac Herzog at his residence Beit HaNassi to commemorate the feat.

The President released the following statement on the meeting:

I was pleased to host this morning Alona Ben Natan, a professional dirt bike rider and the first Israeli to win the world championship held in Dubai as part of the FIM Bajas World Cup.

We discussed the power of sports as a tool to connect peoples and cultures, crossing borders and countries, even in places where words have difficulty bridging the gap.

I wished Alona not only further success on the track, but to continue to carry with her the greatest values ​​of any result: courage, determination, and perseverance, and to continue to represent Israel with honor in the international arena.

Natan won the Women Trophy after running four of seven rounds, racking up 78 points to runner-up Joanna Modrzewska’s 66. She was first in the WT at the Baja TT Escuderia Castelo Branco (eighth overall), second at the Baja TT Dehesa Extremadura (tenth overall), fourth at the Baja Aragón (28th overall), and second in the season-ending Dubai International Baja (25th overall).

She was also supposed to run the Qatar International Baja but had her visa denied amid increased tensions between the country and Israel. The UAE permitted her entry, but she competed as a neutral athlete for safety reasons. Natan has been openly supportive of her country since the start of the Gaza war in 2023.

Featured image credit: via Alona Ben Natan