Israeli gymnastics made history Sunday as Olympic champion Artem Dolgopyat and rising star Noam Berkovich qualified for the men's floor exercise final at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands. It marks the first time two Israeli gymnasts have secured places in the same floor final at the competition, scheduled for Saturday, October 24.
Dolgopyat, the Olympic champion and reigning European floor champion, earned a score of 14.300 in qualification to finish third. Berkovich delivered an equally impressive achievement, scoring 14.033 to place seventh and secure a spot among the eight finalists in his first year competing at the senior level.
Berkovich also finished 37th in the individual all-around qualification with 77.065 points, while Israel placed 20th in the men's team competition.
Alongside Dolgopyat and Berkovich, the Israeli squad includes Ron Pyatov, Ilya Lyubimov and Ron Ortal. All five gymnasts represent Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Artem Dolgopyat and Noam Berkovich
(Photo: Oz Moalem)
"A thrilling day for Israeli gymnastics. Seeing Artem continue to perform at the highest level on the world stage, alongside Noam, who has reached a World Championships final in his very first senior season, is a tremendous source of pride," said Avi Sagi, chairman of the Israel Gymnastics Federation.
"This achievement reflects both the excellent state of the sport today and the promise of our next generation. Congratulations to the gymnasts and coaching staff for all their hard work. We'll be keeping our fingers crossed for both of them in the final."
National team coach Sergei Weissburg also praised the historic result.
"We're extremely proud! Artem continues to demonstrate consistency at the highest level, while Noam is already proving in his first senior season that he belongs among the world's best," Weissburg said.
"This is the result of years of hard work and dedication. Now our focus turns to the final, where we want to deliver our best possible performances."