Israeli Gal Friedman took the gold medal for the windsurfing event in Athens on Wednesday, Israel's first ever gold at the Olympics.

Friedman - the first Israeli to win two Olympic medals after winning the bronze in 1996 - finished the last of the 11 races in second place, but took the gold by scoring 42 points.

The silver went to Nikos Kaklamanakis of Greece, who finished with 52 points and Brazil's Ricardo Santos won bronze with 53 points.

After winning the 10th race Monday, Santos jumped for joy because he thought his gold medal was in the bag.

Points are calculated according to the finishing order of each race, i.e. one point for a first-place finish, two for second, three for third, etc.

Meanwhile, Friedman's female counterpart, Lee Korsitz, will also finish her part in the games today. Korsitz, currently ranked13th, will aim to edge closer to the top 10 with a strong result.

(Xinhua News Agency August 25, 2004)