Israel has won its second-ever gold medal after gymnast Artem Dolgopyat beat tough Spanish and Chinese rivals in the artistic floor exercise today.
No Israeli gymnast had won an Olympic medal of any colour - and only one other Israeli has won an Olympic gold: sailor Gal Fridman, who took top spot on the podium in 2004.
Dolgopyat, 24, is a two-time world championship silver medallist and was seen as Israel’s best hope for a gold.
His final round routine on Sunday scored him 14.933, putting him just ahead of Spain’s Rayderley Miguel Zapata, who took silver, and China’s Xiao Ruoteng, who won the bronze.
Dolgopyat, who immigrated to Israel at the age of 12, came off the floor not knowing if he'd done enough after a few bouncy landings and having incurred a .100 neutral deduction for going out of the area. After a nail-biting few moments, however, he realised what he had achieved.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett applauded Dolgopyat for “making history.”
He said the gymnast brought “immense pride and excitement to all of Israel.”
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