The Jewish Link of New Jersey and Gotham Burger would like to recognize Gabi and Yonatan Benchabbat as this week’s co-Sportstars of the Week. The Benchabbat brothers are key members of the Frisch Cougars wrestling team and placed very well at the Wittenberg Tournament earlier this year: Gabi Benchabbat—182 lbs, 2nd place, and Yonatan Benchabbat—195 lbs, 1st place
Gabi and Yonatan, congrats on another amazing showing at Wittenberg. Who is your role model and why?
Gabi: My coach, Vince, for showing me what it means to be a Jewish athlete
Yonatan: My mom. She is one of the hardest workers I know and has always been there when I needed her.
Who is your favorite athlete and why?
Gabi: Jon Jones because he doesn’t care what others think; he just does what he thinks is right.
Yonatan: Conor McGregor. People call him cocky; I say confident because I believe that he puts in enough work to run his mouth.
What is your earliest sport memory?
Gabi:When my oldest brother came back from his first wrestling practice and wanted to practice what he learnt on me.
Yonatan: Fighting with my older brothers.
What is your funniest sports memory?
Gabi: When we weren’t sure if the first match of this year’s Wittenberg counted because we started early.
Yonatan: Taking a selfie on the podium.
What is your favorite sports memory?
Gabi: Winning my first match after dislocating my shoulder.
Yonatan: Winning Wittenberg.
What is your favorite thing to do when you are not playing sports?
Gabi: Watching movies and making memes.
Yonatan: Spending time with my maternal grandparents. They are two of the coolest and most knowledgable people I know
What is the best thing about being a Sportstar?
Gabi: The fans.
Yonatan: The recognition. I am in the gym six times a week and it feels really good for that work to pay off.
The Jewish Link and Gotham Burger Sportstar of the Week will receive a $10 gift certificate to Gotham Burger. Please send nominees for next week’s Jewish Link and Gotham Burger Sportstar of the Week to [email protected].
