Leah Goldstein

Leah Goldstein (; born February 4, 1969, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) is a professional Canadian-Israeli road racing cyclist, former 1989 World Bantamweight Kickboxing Champion, and Israel's 1998 Duathlon champion. In 2021, she became the first woman to win the overall solo division of the Race Across America (RAAM).

Early and personal life Born in Vancouver, Canada, to Israeli parents, Goldstein was raised in Israel after her family immigrated there. At the age of 17 she won the Bantamweight World Kickboxing Championship. She returned to Canada in the late 1990s. Goldstein lives in Vernon, British Columbia.

Career Kickboxing A natural athlete, at 17 years of age Goldstein won the 1989 World Bantamweight Kickboxing Championship.

Duathlon Goldstein was Israel's 1998 duathlon (run-bike-run) champion. In 2019, she came in second in the women's division and fifth overall in RAAM. In June 2021, she won the overall solo division for this 3,000 mile race in 11 days, three hours. and three minutes.

Book Goldstein wrote a book about her life entitled No Limits; The Powerful True Story of Leah Goldstein-World Champion Kickboxer, Ultra Endurance Cyclist, Israeli Undercover Police Officer (2016).

Speaker In February 2024, Goldstein became the topic of controversy when she was removed from her spot as keynote speaker at an Ottawa International Women’s Day event, after she had accepted an invitation, as a result of her time in the IDF. Goldstein noted: "As a Jewish woman, I would never be offended if a Palestinian woman were to speak about her obstacles and life journey. I thought that’s what women were supposed to do for each other – listen and support!” Deborah Lyons, Canada’s former ambassador to Israel and the Liberal-appointed special envoy on Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism, called it “just another example of the erasure and silencing of Jews going on across Canada and around the world."

Results

1989 1st Inaugural Kfar Maccabiah Biathlon, Israel

1998

1st Israeli Duathalon Championships

1999 1st BC Road Championships 1st Women’s Tour de France – Domestique

2000 3rd in National Championship, Road, ITT, Elite, Canada (F) (CAN)

2001 3rd in National Championship, Road, ITT, Elite, Canada (F) (CAN)

2002 2nd in Stage 1 Tour de Toona (F) (USA) 2nd in National Championship, Road, ITT, Elite, Canada (F) (CAN)

2003 3rd in Stage 1 Tour of the Gila (F) (USA)

2005 1st in Stage 2 Mount Hood Classic (F) (USA) 3rd in Stage 4 Mount Hood Classic (F) (USA) 1st in Stage 3 Mount Hood Classic (F) (USA) 1st in Stage 5 Mount Hood Classic (F) (USA) 1st in General Classification Mount Hood Classic (F) (USA)

2006 2nd in Stage 4 Mount Hood Classic (F) (USA) 3rd in Stage 6 Mount Hood Classic (F) (USA) 1st in General Classification Mount Hood Classic (F) (USA)

2007 1st in Stage 4 Mount Hood Classic (F) (USA) 2nd in Stage 5 Mount Hood Classic (F) (USA) 1st in General Classification Mount Hood Classic (F) (USA) 1st in National Championship, Road, ITT, Elite, Israel (F) (ISR) 1st in National Championship, Road, Elite, Israel (F) (ISR) 2nd in Tour de Gastown (F) (CAN) 2nd in Stage 3 Tour de Delta (F) (CAN) 2nd in General Classification Tour de Delta (F) (CAN)

2008 3rd in Stage 1 San Dimas Stage Race (F), Glendora (USA) 1st in Stage 1 Tour of the Gila (F), Mogollon R.R. (USA) 2nd in Stage 3 Tour of the Gila (F) (USA) 1st in General Classification Tour of the Gila (F) (USA) 1st in Stage 4 Mount Hood Classic (F) (USA) 3rd in General Classification Mount Hood Classic (F) (USA) 1st in National Championship, Road, ITT, Elite, Israel (F) (ISR) 1st in National Championship, Road, Elite, Israel (F) (ISR)

2009 1st in National Championship, Road, ITT, Elite, Israel (F) (ISR) 1st in National Championship, Road, Elite, Israel (F) (ISR)

2010

1st Solo Woman (2nd overall) – Race Across Oregon 1st Solo Woman + new record 2nd overall – Ring of Fire

2011 1st Solo Woman – Race Across America (RAAM) – Best Overall Female, Best in Age Group, Queen of the Mountains, Queen of the Prairies, and Rookie of the year.

2012

1st Solo Woman (2nd overall) RAW – New time record

2019

2nd Solo Division and 5th overall RAAM – Queen of the Prairies

2021 1st Overall Solo Division RAAM – 1st woman in 39-yr history to win Overall Solo Division – Queen of the Mountains – Queen of the Prairies

2022 1st Overall Hoodoo 500 – Broke previous record 1st Solo Women RAW (Race Across the West) – New women’s time record

2023

2nd Women’s Solo RAAM (Race Across America) 4th Overall in 10 days 8 hours – Broke personal record by 10 hours – Queen of the Mountains – Queen of the Prairies