PARIS — Andrea "Andi" Murez, a Venice native who swam at Venice High School and still holds records there, carried Israel's flag at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
“I think what made it really obvious that this is such an honor was actually when we recently competed in the European championships and won the relay,” Murez said in a recent interview in a Tel Aviv University publication . “To be on such a large stage like that at an international competition and be able to hear the Hatikvah and raise the Israeli flag … from that I have a lot of motivation.”
Murez made aliyah from California in 2014 and is now representing Israel for the third time at the Olympics, participating in the mixed 4x100 meter medley relay. She was the first woman in Israel to qualify for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and also competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Competing in Paris holds a special significance for Murez, as her step-grandfather, a survivor of Nazi-occupied France and former French national team swimmer, adds a personal connection to her participation. “My aunt messaged me the other day and reminded me that my step-grandfather is from France,” Murez said. “That adds a particularly special component to competing in Paris.”
Murez's impressive achievements extend beyond the pool. She was pre-med at Stanford and later attended medical school at Tel Aviv University, graduating in the spring of 2023. Despite the rigorous demands of both her studies and athletic career, Murez has managed to excel in both.
Reflecting on her journey, Murez expressed gratitude for the opportunities that have shaped her. “Looking back at the career I’ve had so far … moving to Israel, making aliyah, learning a new language, becoming a part of a new culture and then competing and meeting swimmers and athletes while traveling around the world … it has just been an amazing opportunity and I’m so thankful,” she said.
“In medical school, the hours of training can’t just be about race day—that’s too much pressure. You’ve got to have perspective; you’ve got to enjoy the process day in and day out,” she said. “Dealing with pressure and staying motivated and not quitting during intense periods are skills I learned from swimming that I didn’t even know I had until I realized that others didn’t have those skills.”
Murez also emphasized the importance of mental health among athletes, an issue she plans to address in her future career. She is working with Stanford Lifestyle Psychiatry physicians to create a mental health survey for Olympic athletes, which she is translating into Hebrew to serve athletes in Israel.
“Getting an annual mental health check is just as important for Olympic athletes as the physical exam,” Murez said. “It’s important to have these conversations and raise awareness that elite athletes are human beings that have mental health struggles, too.”
Murez is set to compete on August 2, with her father, mother, and brother in Paris to cheer her on. "Very proud," is an understatement her father recently said to the Current.