Adam Edelman

Adam Edelman
Personal information
Native name
אדם אדלמן
Full nameAdam Jeremy Edelman
Nickname(s)
A. J.
The Hebrew Hammer
National team
  • Israel Olympic Skeleton Team
  • Israel Bobsled Team
Born (1991-03-14) March 14, 1991
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
EducationMassachusetts Institute of Technology (BS)
Yale School of Management (MBA '23)
Years active2014–2018 (skeleton)
2019–present (bobsled)
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight83 kg (183 lb)
Websiteisraelbobsled.team
Sport
CountryIsrael
Sport
Medal record
Men's skeleton
Representing  Israel
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
National Championship 4 – –
Total 4 0 0
Men's Bobsled
Representing  Israel
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
National Championship 6 – –
Total 6 0 0
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
IBSF North American Cup - 1 1
North American Cup Circuit Overall - – 1
Total 0 1 2

Adam Jeremy "A. J." Edelman OLY (Hebrew: אדם ג'רמי אדלמן; born March 14, 1991) is an American-born Israeli sliding sports athlete. He is the first Israeli to qualify for the Olympics in two different sports, and the first Orthodox Jew to compete in the Winter Olympics.[1] Edelman competed for Israel in the skeleton competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and competed at the Milan 2026 Olympics in the bobsleigh.[1][2][3]

Biography

Edelman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts.[4] He was raised in a Modern Orthodox Jewish home by parents Cheryl (a lawyer) and Elazer Edelman (an engineer, scientist, and cardiologist).[5] He is the middle of three boys. His older brother is comedian Alex Edelman who helped found Off the Wall Comedy in Jerusalem.[6][7] He is a dual American-Israeli citizen.[7][5]

Edelman graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2014 with a degree in mechanical engineering.[8] He was a member of the MIT Men's hockey team and a staff editorial columnist for the MIT newspaper, The Tech.[8] MIT President Rafael Reif's 2018 commencement address used Edelman's Olympic journey as a basis of his message to the graduating class.[9]

Edelman immigrated to Israel in 2016 and trained at Wingate Institute.[10] He is an MBA candidate at the Yale School of Management.[11]

Edelman is nicknamed the "Hebrew Hammer."[8]

Edelman has said he is a supporter of anti-bullying and mental health initiatives, and that his motivation for continuing in sport is largely a desire "to use my Olympic journey as a platform to promote further Jewish and Israeli involvement in sport."[12][13]

Sports career

Hockey

Edelman's first sport was ice hockey, which he began playing at age three, as a goaltender.[14][5] He continued to play hockey through high school for the Brookline Warriors hockey team and at MIT, where he was the program's first ever sabbath observant player.[8] Edelman helped the MIT Engineers win two divisional championships[15] in the Northeast Collegiate Hockey Association (NECHA) Division II league.

Bodybuilding

Edelman competed as an NGA accredited bodybuilder,[16] placing in a top-3 medal finish at the 2014 NGA Annapolis Bodybuilding Championships.[17]

Olympic sliding sports

Skeleton

Edelman tried skeleton for the first time at the Olympic facilities in Lake Placid, NY in March 2014[13] where he was given an assessment that he would never be competitive.[11][18][19] The Israeli team was similarly told that Edelman would "get down the track but that’ll be the most of it."[20] Nevertheless, Edelman set out a goal of qualifying for the 2022 Olympics.[21][7] Lacking funds, Edelman could not afford a coach and was self-taught.[22][23][24] He reinforced his learning of the sport by watching nearly 12 hours of YouTube video daily.[25][11][5][16][26]

In his first race at the 2014 North American Cup, Edelman finished 18.64 seconds behind the race winner,[27] and after hearing another athlete indicate that given his poor performance Edelman would quit within 2 years, decided to focus on making the 2018 Olympics, rather than 2022.[15] In the 2018 Olympic qualification season, Edelman had cut this deficit to 1.19 seconds, placing ninth.[28]

In 2016, he decided to quit the sport and return to work, but changed his mind at the last minute and decided to train full-time, resigning from his job as a product manager at Oracle.[20]

Edelman entered the final days of 2018 Olympic qualification outside of qualification position, needing two medal performances in the Lake Placid North American Cup races to jump up the ranking table. He secured Israel's first sliding sport Olympic berth by earning a fifth place medal in both races.[25]

Edelman competed for Israel at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, finishing in 28th place.[29]

Edelman competed in two World Championships for Israel,[14] and retired from skeleton as Israel's most decorated slider, winning four Israeli national titles and two medals in IBSF-sanctioned international competition, the most of any Israeli sliding sport athlete.[30][8][31][25]

Bobsleigh

Post-skeleton, Edelman unsuccessfully attempted to qualify an Israeli bobsled team for the 2022 Beijing Olympics.[1]

In 2023, five of Edelman's teammates were drafted to serve in the Israel Defense Forces in the Gaza War. Edelman strung together a season by bringing in new athletes in each race for the IBSF North American Circuit, ultimately winning Israel's first ever sanctioned bobsleigh podium.[32][26]

Edelman successfully qualified a team for the 2026 Winter Olympics, after the UK decided to send only one team, not two.[1]

Edelman and the team reported on February 7, 2026, that their apartment in Cortina d'Ampezzo at the 2026 Winter Olympics had been burglarized. He said that "suitcases, shoes, equipment, passports" were stolen. Italian police have begun to investigate.[33]

In the two-man bobsleigh competition, Edelman's team placed last out of 26 teams.[3] During the Israeli team's run in the bobsleigh event, RTS commentator Stefan Renna criticized Adam Edelman for his support of the Gaza genocide,[34] noting that Edelman had described himself on social media as a “Zionist to the core” and the Gaza War as “the most morally just war in history.” Renna used the term “genocide” to describe the Gaza War, citing the UN Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry. “Renna cited the IOC Charter, which states that athletes who have actively supported the war by participating in pro-war events, expressing such views on social media, or being actively conscripted by the military are not permitted to participate in the Olympic Games—this applied, at least, to Russian athletes.” In a statement, RTS clarified: “Our journalist intended to address the IOC’s policy based on statements made by the athlete in question. Although this is factual information, it is inappropriate in the context of a sports commentary because it is too detailed”.[35]

In the four-man bobsleigh competition, Edelman's team ranked 24th of 27 after two heats. Before the third heat, a team member admitted to Olympic Committee of Israel (OCI) that he had lied about an injury in an attempt to allow a substitute, Druze athlete Ward Fawarseh, to take his place for the third heat, a substitution which would not be allowed absent an injury. As a result of this admission, the team was withdrawn from the competition, and it did not start the third heat.[36][37][38]

Awards

Edelman is a recipient of Jew in the City's Orthodox Jewish All Star award.[39] He was named a 2021 European Forbes 30 Under 30 in the Sports and Games category for his efforts of using his platform to campaign against bullying and increase LGBTQ participation in sport.[40]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Spiro, Amy (January 22, 2026). "Miracle on ice: Israel's bobsleigh team clinches spot at 2026 Winter Olympics". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  2. ^ Allon Sinai. "Blue-and-white delegation Pyeongchang reaches 10 athletes". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Spiro, Amy (February 17, 2026). "Jubilant Israeli team celebrates last-place finish in Olympic 2-man bobsleigh event". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  4. ^ "AJ Edelman, Israel National Skeleton Athlete". Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d "Trained on YouTube, a Bostonian Will Be Israel's First Olympian to Compete in the Games' Most Dangerous Sport". Haaretz. January 31, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  6. ^ Levine, Sara (January 17, 2018). "AJ Edelman, the First Orthodox Jewish Male Olympian, is Ready for Gold". Jew in the City. Edelman attended Maimonides Day School, where he and his older brother Alex, now a comedian in LA...
  7. ^ a b c Sullivan, Tara (February 14, 2018). "Skeleton racer AJ Edelman living the dream at Olympics". Boston Globe. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  8. ^ a b c d e Rungta, Ahaan. "AJ Edelman '14 to represent Israel at the 2018 Winter Olympics". The Tech. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  9. ^ "MIT President L. Rafael Reif's charge to the Class of 2018 | MIT EECS". www.eecs.mit.edu. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  10. ^ Israel's bobsled athletes aim to go where no Israeli has gone before, Haaretz
  11. ^ a b c "The First Orthodox Jewish Male Olympian Meets SCHA Students | Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven". www.jewishnewhaven.org. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  12. ^ Josephs, Allison (February 12, 2019). "AJ Edelman accepts the Jew in the City All Star Award". YouTube. Archived from the original on April 23, 2020.
  13. ^ a b Olympian AJ Edelman: "Israel Skeleton – What Defines a Champion", Talks at Google, retrieved January 7, 2019 – via YouTube
  14. ^ a b "PyeongChang Skeleton – Results & Videos". International Olympic Committee. April 10, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  15. ^ a b Simmons, Rabbi Shraga (February 14, 2018). "The Hebrew Hammer's Amazing Path to the Winter Olympics". aishcom. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  16. ^ a b "'The Hebrew Hammer' set to make Israeli Olympic history". WFLA. February 8, 2018. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  17. ^ "2014 N.G.A Drug-Free Annapolis Bodybuilding, Figure, Physique & Bikini Top 5 Results". ep.yimg.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  18. ^ "I failed. I quit. I made the Olympics." -AJ Edelman | AJ(Adam) Edelman | TEDxWPI, retrieved October 14, 2019
  19. ^ Gonzalez, Susan (January 14, 2020). "Yalies make their mark as 'human bullets'". YaleNews. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  20. ^ a b Hudes, Sammy (February 26, 2018). "First Israeli skeleton Olympian's track slid through Calgary". Calgary Herald. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  21. ^ "A.J. Edelman Goes For Gold". Tablet Magazine. January 29, 2018. Archived from the original on January 29, 2018. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  22. ^ "8 ways YouTube is changing sports fandom (for the better)". Think with Google. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  23. ^ "2018 Winter Olympics: AJ Edelman, an Orthodox Jew, is Israel's first skeleton athlete". Mic. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  24. ^ "Olympian's North Shore ties". Jewish Independent. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  25. ^ a b c "MIT alumnus to compete in Winter Olympics". MIT News. Archived from the original on February 16, 2018. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  26. ^ a b Karpen, Elizabeth (February 21, 2024). "How Israel's bobsled team is pushing for Olympic glory with Gaza war raging". NY Post. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
  27. ^ "IBSF – International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation". www.ibsf.org. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  28. ^ "IBSF – International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation". www.ibsf.org. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  29. ^ "Israel's Edelman eliminated in Olympic skeleton". Times of Israel. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  30. ^ "Adam Edelman". www.ibsf.org. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
  31. ^ Webster, Riley (November 16, 2020). "This Yale MBA Student Is Close To Making Olympic History — Again". Poets&Quants. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  32. ^ "היסטוריה: מדליה ישראלית במזחלות שלג | ישראל היום" [History: Israeli medal in snow sledding]. www.israelhayom.co.il. December 1, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  33. ^ Frankel, Julia; Reynolds, Tim (February 7, 2026). "Israeli bobsled pilot says team apartment was robbed ahead of Milan Cortina Winter Games". AP News. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  34. ^ "Swiss broadcaster pulls Olympic commentary questioning presence of Israeli bobsledder". The Guardian. Reuters. February 17, 2026. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  35. ^ "RTS reagiert auf Kritik an Kommentator, der Nahostkonflikt thematisierte". tagesanzeiger.ch (in German). February 17, 2026. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  36. ^ Algemeiner, The. "Israel's Bobsled Team Clarifies It Withdrew From Last Day of Winter Olympics After Wanting Lineup Switch". Algemeiner.com. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  37. ^ Slater, Matt (February 22, 2026). "Israel withdraws Olympic bobsled team for lying to medical officials about illness". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  38. ^ Koren, Yotam (February 22, 2026). "נבחרת המזחלות סולקה מהאולימפיאדה לאחר שאחד מחבריה שיקר בתצהיר רפואי" [The bobsligh team was expelled from the Olympics after one of its members lied in a medical affidavit]. Haaretz (in Hebrew). Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  39. ^ Levine, Sara (July 19, 2019). "Save The Date For The 6th Orthodox Jewish All Stars Event!". Jew in the City. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  40. ^ "Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe 2021: Sports & Games". www.forbes.com. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
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