European Championship: Artem Dolgopyat Advances to Ground Exercise Final
Stellar Performance in Preliminary Rounds
Artem Dolgopyat, the Olympic champion from Tokyo 2020 and silver medalist from Paris 2024, showcased an impressive performance at the European Championships held in Leipzig. Competing in the preliminary rounds, Dolgopyat secured his place in the ground exercise final by finishing second with a score of 14.400 points, which included a difficulty rating of 5.8. This score ranks among the highest achieved in the current European Championship preliminaries.
Additional Competitions and Scores
In addition to his success in the ground exercise, Dolgopyat participated in several other disciplines. He scored 12.833 points in the pommel horse, 13.200 points in the rings, and an impressive 14.300 points in the vault. However, he did not qualify for the finals in these events, meaning he will compete solely in the ground exercise final, where he excels.
Other Israeli Competitors
Other Israeli gymnasts also took part in the competition. Eyal Indig delivered a commendable performance on the pommel horse, earning 14.033 points but finishing ninth overall, just shy of final qualification due to only eight gymnasts progressing. Pavel Golidov scored 13.433 points on the parallel bars but also did not advance to the finals. In the all-around category, Uri Zeidel was the only Israeli representative, amassing a total score of 76.298 points which placed him 31st overall, based on scores from various events, including rings, floor exercise, and vault.
Team Strategy and Injuries
Due to injuries affecting key team members, the Israeli men’s team, under coach Sergey Weisburg, opted out of a serious approach to the team event. Both Ilya Lyubimov and Alex Miakinin sustained injuries-Lyubimov due to an ankle issue and Miakinin suffering a complex knee injury during a training session prior to the competition. This left Dolgopyat as the lstart competitor for the team, which did not contribute to overall standings.
Dolgopyat himself faced health issues prior to the competition, battling fever and sore throat symptoms upon arrival in Germany. Despite these challenges, he competed in four events.
Injury Update on Miakinin
Following an MRI, Miakinin’s condition has been assessed as complicated, involving significant injury to the knee, including a potential cruciate ligament tear and meniscus damage, leading to the likelihood of surgical intervention and extended rehabilitation.
Mixed-Gender Competition and Finals
In a notable development, Uri Zeidel from Maccabi Tel Aviv and Leah Raz from Ramat Hasharon qualified for the mixed-gender final by finishing 11th based on their combined scores throughout the competition. This mixed-format event marks the first of its kind in gymnastics apparatus competitions. The finals are scheduled for the following day, with each athlete participating in three different apparatuses.
As the event continues, Dolgopyat’s performance will be closely watched as he aims for another medal in the ground exercise final