Pogerlov Rita

About

Margareta (Rita) Pogerlov, born on September 10, 1985, in the Republic of Moldova, moved to Israel in 1989 at the age of 4 with her parents, Yefim and Ludmila, and older brother, Roman. Passionate about sports from a young age, she started as a synchronized swimmer at the Hapoel Yavne club, and at 17, she switched to athletics, joining the Hapoel Holon team under the guidance of coach Rafi Grodetsky. After a year of training, she achieved 12.08 seconds in the 100m and became a member of the Israeli national track and field team, winning multiple national titles in the 100m and 200m between 2006 and 2014, including six championships in the 100m. She set Israeli national records in the indoor 60m (7.50 seconds, 2008) and indoor 300m (40.89 seconds, 2008), which stood for years. Her athletic achievements opened doors for her to study in the United States, where she enrolled at Miami University in Ohio in 2007, earning a bachelor's degree in economics. She competed in the Mid-American Conference, becoming conference champion, setting university records in the 100m, 200m, and 4x400m relay, and qualifying for the European U23 Championships with a time of 11.84 seconds in the 100m. Returning Today, Rita Pogerlov lives in Holon with her partner, with whom she has three children, and has been working since 2019 as an inspector in the business licensing department of the Holon municipality. Although she has retired from elite competitions, her legacy in Israeli athletics remains notable, inspiring young female athletes from the Moldovan immigrant community, where sport represents a path to integration and excellence.