Israel added yet another medal to their impressive haul at the Paris Olympics as the Rhythmic Gymnastics Team captured silver for the nation\u2019s 7th medal with a terrific performance in the Group All-Around after having qualified for the finals on Friday. <\/p>\n
The squad of Ofir Shaham, Diana Svertsov, Adar Friedmann, Romi Paritzki and Shani Bakanov recorded a score of 35.600 in 5 Hoops which was good for 5th place and 33.250 in 3 Ribbons and 2 Balls for 2nd which gave them an overall score of 68.850 which placed them just behind China who won gold with a score of 69.800 and ahead of Italy who scored 68.100.<\/p>\n
The key score for the blue-and-white was in the 3 Ribbons and 2 Balls which was a marked improvement over Friday\u2019s qualification score of 31.900 which was able to place them ahead of Italy to take home the silver medal. <\/p>\n
Coach Ayelet Zussman spoke about the team\u2019s performance, \u201cHow did we do it? With the love for the sport with the great coaching staff and by working hard together. Linoy Ashram had a huge influence on rhythmic gymnastics and she had an incredible five years where she was constantly at the top so we knew she was a candidate for a medal last Olympics. The same is true with this team who have been at the top over the past three years and here they did it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they finished their last rotation I knew there was a very good chance that we would win a medal. I am happy I am proud to see all the people that encouraged us and who were excited for us. When we are together, it gives us the strength to achieve everything we want to achieve,\u201d the coach concluded.<\/p>\n
Romi Paritzki who will be a flag bearer at the closing ceremonies discussed the accomplishment, \u201cI can’t describe our feelings. This is the highlight of our career. I am thankful for going through this experience together. When we finished teh first rotation we were uncertain as to how we did, but Ayelet calmly told us to forget about what was, concentrate on what will be, go out and make history. When we saw that we were in second place, I realized how great an honor it was. Ayelet is a one-of-a-kind coach, she was our mother and it’s all thanks to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
After winning the silver the gymnasts spoke as well beginning with Shani Bakanov, \u201cWe worked hard and after the first rotation we had to reset and do the second rotation as best as possible to get onto the podium. The coaching staff helped us do it and there was a lot of crying for joy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am shocked,\u201d Diana Svertsov added. \u201cI was extremely excited to see that we were in second place. It’s a dream come true to be here but to win a silver medal is unbelievable. I can’t get over how amazing and what kind of great honor this is. We are all different and complement each other like a puzzle. We came together and together we won.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adar Friedmann chimed in, \u201cThe most stressful moments of my life were when we were waiting. I am very happy. It was difficult and nerve-racking for us, it was a struggle from the first moment. Our secret? We work together like a family and take care of each other. It’s a historic and crazy achievement, we didn’t expect it and it stunned us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ofir Shaham shared her feelings, \u201cI\u2019m shocked, unable to speak I don’t have any words. It was unbelievable. We have waited and worked so hard for this moment. At the end of the second exercise we knew it was over and we were waiting for the score, we are thankful that we won a medal. Without the team this would not have been possible. The crowd was crazy. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much.\u201d<\/p>\n
The CEO of the Israel Olympic Committee Gili Lustig added, \u201cWe won 7 medals after what happened to us as a country on October 7. Precisely now, we are here, we are on the map, with a stand full of Israelis with blue-and-white flags. This is the victory over what happened to us on October 7th. We were all on a mission and there is nothing more symbolic than that.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the Men\u2019s Marathon, Maru Teferi finished 26th, Gashau Ayale 35th and Girmaw Amare 44th. \u201cA marathon is a marathon,\u201d Teferi said. \u201cSometimes you plan and then the opposite of what you planned happens. What you plan doesn’t always happen and that’s what happened. I’m happy that I finished and that I reached the finish line and representing the country is also my honor.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Artistic Swimming duo of Shelly Bobritsky and Ariel Nassee finished the Duet Technical Routine in 9th place with a score of 243.0666 and a 239.3416 in the Duet Free Routine for a overall total of 482.4082 good for 9th place at the end of the competition.<\/p>\n
In Cycling – Track Men\u2019s Keirin, Mikhail Yakovlev advanced to Sunday\u2019s quarterfinals after finishing in first place in his heat as he will threaten for yet another medal for Israel. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Israel added yet another medal to their impressive haul at the Paris Olympics as the Rhythmic Gymnastics Team captured silver for the nation\u2019s 7th medal with a terrific performance in the Group All-Around after having qualified for the finals on Friday. The squad of Ofir Shaham, Diana Svertsov, Adar Friedmann, Romi Paritzki and Shani Bakanov […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":116899,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4074],"tags":[29],"class_list":["post-116898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-jews-in-sports","tag-israel","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n