Blue-and-white racks up another pair of medals in Poland

Israel sent 18 athletes to Wroclaw, its largest-ever delegation, in seven different sports: water skiing, muaythai, ju-jitsu, kickboxing, acrobatic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and dance sports.

By ALLON SINAI
The members of Israel’s acrobatic gymnastics men’s team pose with their bronze medals won in the group all-around event on Wednesday at the World Games in Poland (photo credit: Courtesy)
The members of Israel’s acrobatic gymnastics men’s team pose with their bronze medals won in the group all-around event on Wednesday at the World Games in Poland
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Israel’s delegation to the World Games in Wroclaw, Poland took its medal tally to five on Thursday, winning two more bronzes to add to the silver and two bronze medals claimed by blue-and-white representatives in the first week of competition.
The World Games, first held in 1981, are an international multi-sport event, meant for sports, or disciplines or events within a sport, that are not contested at the Olympic Games.
Israel sent 18 athletes to Wroclaw, its largest-ever delegation, in seven different sports: water skiing, muaythai, ju-jitsu, kickboxing, acrobatic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and dance sports.
The Games got under way on July 20 and will end on Sunday.
Kickboxer Itai Gershon and waterskier Guy Firer were the latest Israelis to scale the podium on Thursday, with both finishing their competitions in third place.
Gershon defeated Bruno Gazani of Brazil in the battle for the bronze medal in the men’s K1 71kg competition, winning all three rounds of the fight.
Firer registered a result of 70.89 points in the men’s wakeboard freestyle final to take a bronze.
“This exceeds my expectations as I only started training in this discipline four months ago,” said the 20-year-old Firer, who is the reigning European champion in cable wakeboard.
“I always set myself the goal of finishing in first place, but a bronze medal at the World Games is amazing and I’m mainly pleased with how far I’ve come in a short time.”
Israel’s first two medals at the Games were won by gymnast Linoy Ashram, who continued her triumphant summer. Ashram dominated the Maccabiah’s rhythmic gymnastics competitions earlier this month, sweeping all five gold medals, after previously taking two medals at the European Championships.

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While rhythmic gymnastics is part of the Olympics, medals are only handed out in the all-around event. The World Games include finals in all four of the apparatus: ball, ribbon, hoop and clubs. Ashram took a silver in the clubs and a bronze in the hoop.
Israel’s third medal was won by the men’s acrobatic gymnastics team on Wednesday. Lidar Dana, Yannay Kalfa, Efi Efraim Sach and Daniel Uralevitch registered a score of 28.050 points in the groups all-around final.
Reuters contributed to this report.