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NETANYA, Israel, Jul 25 (Reuters) Bat-El Gatterer serves in the Israeli army, lives in a guarded settlement in the occupied West Bank and will fight in the Olympic taekwondo tournament.
Gatterer is part of the biggest delegation the Jewish state has sent to a Games -- 42. The shy 21-year-old, who will compete in the 57kg class, was regarded as a prospect for London in 2012 but has peaked early, her coach says.
Gatterer booked her place by winning a bronze at the European Olympic qualifying tournament in Istanbul in January.
''I was a little surprised to have qualified, it is a great achievement and it is the dream of every sportsman, but people believed in me,'' Gatterer told Reuters at her training camp at Wingate Sports Institute near Netanya in central Israel.
Gatterer comes from the hilltop settlement of Kohav Yaakov, home to some 5,000 people, near the West Bank city of Ramallah and about 20 minutes drive from central Jerusalem, where her main training centre is.
Gatterer's French-born parents moved to Kohav Yaakov in the 1980s where they have raised their six children of whom Bat-El is the oldest.
Settlements that Israel built on West Bank land it captured in the 1967 Middle East war and which Palestinians want as part of a future state have been deemed illegal by the World Court.
Israel has hinted it might evacuate some settlements as part of a future peace deal. Gatterer's settler status -- she is probably the first with a realistic medal chance -- has generated hype in Israel but she plays it down.
''I am a settler, it is where my parents chose to live. It's a great place but I am representing the entire country ... I don't have a special commitment to (settlers) but there is much support and many people send good wishes,'' she said.
ARMOURED BUSES The buses that ply the route to Jerusalem, some of them armoured, are infrequent and make many stops. Gatterer's religion has also complicated travel arrangements.
While most top Israeli athletes are largely secular, Gatterer is an observant Jew who does not travel by car on Saturdays and so often has to walk long distances to her competition venue.
At Beijing, Gatterer will compete on a Thursday.
Dietary considerations on religious grounds have been an issue and Gatterer used to take a suitcase full of kosher food with her.
In Beijing, she plans to take some of her own food although kosher fare will also be provided by the organisers, an Israeli Olympic official said.
''We are all very proud of Bat-El, we have known her since she was a small girl and we knew that one day she would get to the Olympics,'' said Itai Zunzuri, a Kohav Yaakov neighbour.
''She is one of us, but I think that as this is sport, it is something that can unify all Israelis, regardless of the fact that she is from a settlement, she is representing all Israelis.'' Gatterer is set to complete her two years of military service, which is compulsory for most young Israelis, on the day she travels to Beijing. Like other elite athletes, she has spent only a few, token hours at her base.
Gatterer's main attributes are her speed and strength, said coach Noa Shmida.
''Bat-El has the potential to be the best taekwondo fighter in the world, I hope that she will manage to get the most from herself in Beijing,'' Shmida said. With only 16 entrants in each category, three consecutive victories would ensure a medal.
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