Gymnast Artem Dolgopyat won the silver medal in the floor exercise final at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.
The 27-year-old, who previously claimed gold in the floor exercise final in Tokyo 2020, performed a fantastic routine in the Paris final, free of serious mistakes, earning a score of 14.966, which awarded him the silver medal. He finished second only to the Philippines' Carlos Yulo who scored 15.0 to clinch the top prize. This is Israel's sixth Olympic medal in Paris and the 19th overall.
Dolgopyat narrowly escaped early elimination last Saturday with an uncharacteristically low score of just 14.466 points. He made two notable errors during his routine: the first occurred in the second tumbling pass when he bent his knees, slipped and was close to falling; the second happened in the third pass when he had a poor landing.
He has thus become the most decorated Israeli Olympic athlete in history, with gold and silver medals. Alongside windsurfer Gal Fridman, he is one of only two Israeli athletes to achieve the distinction of winning two Olympic medals in individual competitions.
Dolgopyat has solidified his status as one of Israel's premier athletes and one of its most decorated, despite his relatively young age. Over his career, Dolgopyat has amassed ten medals across World Championships (3) and European Championships (7). He also claimed gold at the Tokyo Olympics and recently added a silver medal in Paris to his accolades.
Notably, the Israeli gymnast's three World Championship medals include a recent gold, won on October 7—a date indelibly etched in Israeli memory due to the Hamas surprise attack. On that day, Dolgopyat was crowned world champion in Antwerp, securing his place at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
With this achievement, Dolgopyat became the first Israeli Olympic champion with the opportunity to defend his title at the Olympic Games. This feat follows the retirements and challenges faced by other Israeli Olympians: Linoy Ashram retired after the Tokyo Games, and Gal Fridman was bested by Shahar Zuberi in the bid to compete at the Beijing 2008 Games.
Earlier Saturday, newly crowned Olympic champion Tom Reuveny won gold in men's windsurfing, and sailor Sharon Kantor earned silver in the women's event.