Israeli champion Oded Kogut delivered a standout performance against some of the world’s top sprinters, securing an impressive fifth place in Stage 5 of the UAE Tour in Dubai on Friday.
This marks the best result of Kogut’s career at the elite WorldTour level, matching the achievement of his teammate Itamar Einhorn, who also finished fifth in a stage of the Vuelta a España in 2021.
At just 24 years old, the Haifa-born sprinter has already made his mark, winning a stage at Cro Race late last season, his first professional victory with Israel – Premier Tech.
But today, he went head-to-head with some of the biggest names in the sport, including European champion Tim Merlier, who took the stage win, and the in-form Jonathan Milan, who finished third, just ahead of Kogut.
Kogut says: “I always race to win, but I’m definitely happy to prove that I can compete with the world’s best sprinters, For me, there was never a doubt — if I didn’t believe I could beat them, I wouldn’t have fought so hard to finish fifth.”
And with a bit more luck, the result could have been even better. Throughout the stage’s 160km route, which started at Dubai’s American University and finished at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University, Kogut received strong support from his teammates — including Tour de France champion Chris Froome — who protected him from the wind and kept him well-positioned.
However, a crash just before the final turn forced Kogut to slow down, leaving him with no choice but to launch a long sprint to close the gap to the front.
“I lost a lot of energy at that moment, and that’s what cost me in the end,” he says.
Kogut’s and his teammates’ performance today has boosted IPT’s confidence heading into another sprint finish tomorrow in Abu Dhabi. “We all believe in him,” said Sports Director Dror Pekatch. “Today, he proved exactly why.”
