The 28-year-old Israeli had scaled the podium in each of his previous five appearances at the European Championships.
By ALLON SINAIIsraeli gymnast Alex Shatilov at the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Montpellier, France, April 18 (photo credit: REUTERS)
For the first time since 2008, Alex Shatilov will end the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships without claiming a medal in the floor exercise after finishing Saturday’s final in Montpellier, France in fourth place.The 28-year-old Israeli had scaled the podium in each of his previous five appearances at the European Championships, winning bronze medals in 2009, 2012 and 2014, a silver in 2011 and a gold in 2013. He missed the competition in 2010 through injury.Shatilov registered a result of 14.933 points in Saturday’s final, one point fewer than he managed in qualifying on Thursday.In an attempt to increase his chances of claiming a medal at the Rio Olympics next year, Shatilov has put together a new, more difficult, floor drill, which he debuted in major competition in Montpellier. He received 6.5 points for its level of difficulty in the qualifiers and final, but his execution on Saturday wasn’t good enough to land him a place on the podium.Shatilov will also participate in the high bar final on Sunday after finishing the qualifiers in seventh place with a score of 14.450.Shatilov will be one of two Israelis in action on Sunday, with Andrey Medvedev to take part in the vault final.Medvedev, who ended last year’s vault final at the Europeans in sixth place, progressed to the final in Montpellier with a score of 14.849, good enough for sixth place in the qualifiers.Artem Dolgopyat was the first Israeli to compete in a final in Montpellier on Friday, ending the all-around event in 22nd place.Dolgopyat, who finished in 10th place in the all-around final at the Nanjing Youth Olympics last year, registered a result of 80.165 points on Friday.