Maxim began to practice pole vaulting professionally at the age of 12. He held the title of Israeli Champion for five years in a row and reached fourth place in the World Championships.

As expected, he received an outstanding athlete status and enlisted into the IDF in August 2019. 

Almost a year later, Staff Sgt. Amit Ben Yigal, who served in the Golani Brigade, fell during a counterterrorism operation, leaving a huge impact on Maxim, who knew him from home. “Amit and I studied at the same high school and went to athletics training together. I was considering going to combat for a while, but when Amit fell, I finally realized I was going to follow in his footsteps."

Maxim joined training in the Golani Brigade. This month, he finished his training in the Golani special forces—the smile says it all!