ATHENS (Reuters) - Israel won their first Olympic gold medal since the Jewish flag was raised at the Games 52 years ago when windsurfer Gal Fridman sailed to victory on Wednesday.

"For us this is a dream come true, something we have been dreaming about since our first Olympics in 1952," said Israeli team manager Gilad Lustig.

"Gal Fridman is our greatest athlete. To see our flag displayed and hear our national anthem played at the awards ceremony is a moment we have long been waiting for."

Israel first entered the Games in 1952 in Helsinki and it had to wait 40 years for its first medal, a silver on the judo mat in Barcelona. Fridman, 28, capped that by taking gold in the men's Mistral after finishing second in the final race.

"We are all excited, all the people of Israel. I think also all of the Jewish people," Israeli President Moshe Katsav told Army Radio.

Fridman, who won a bronze in 1996, was not selected for the Sydney Games and gave up the sport for two years before returning to win the world title in 2002.

"Thank you, thank you to all the nation of Israel," Fridman told Army Radio.

PERFECT DAY

It was also a "perfect day" for Austria who picked up their first gold on the Games through an unlikely heroine in the triathlon.

Kate Allen, who was born in Australia and took on the nationality of her husband two years ago, moved up from 28th after the cycling leg to overtake race leader Loretta Harrop, of Australia, 150 meters from the line in the final run leg.

She said she was unaware that she was in third place when her husband shouted: "You're running for a silver medal. Do you know that?"

"Then I saw Loretta 200 meters before the finish line and she wasn't going that fast and that was my gold medal."

Allen, who only took up triathlon in 1996, said she would have been happy with a top five finish. "Everything came together," she added. "It was a perfect day."

NOT TARNISHED

Away from the sports action, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) defended the Games' image in Athens, saying the doping scandals that have resulted in two athletics champions losing their gold medals have not tarnished the Olympics.

"We should keep things in perspective. We so far have seven positive doping tests and three doping violations and in Sydney we had 11 (in total)," IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said comparing Athens with the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

"There are 10,500 athletes (in the Games) and there have been some wonderful successes."

Back in Sydney, Australians were anxiously awaiting to see if their only world athletics champion Jana Pittman can succeed Cathy Freeman as the nation's track diva.

But it will take an extraordinary effort to win the 400 meters hurdles Wednesday night. Surgeons had told her at one time she only had a one percent chance of competing at the Games after she tore a knee cartilage just under three weeks ago.

"In Freeman's footsteps: Pittman's leap of faith," trumpeted The Sydney Morning Herald, reflecting on the darling of Sydney 2000 being replaced by a new heroine.

But fame, as Marion Jones knows all too well, is transitory.

Twelve months ago, the triple Olympic champion was relishing motherhood, and looking forward to Athens.

Now she enters the Games Wednesday almost by a back door after the BALCO laboratory scandal which has sent shockwaves through her sport.

Jones, who won a record five medals in Sydney, has qualified only for the long jump in Athens although she could run one or both relays.