Israel's Dolgopyat takes silver in gymnastics Worlds
Dolgopyat is only the second Israeli to claim a medal at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships.
By ALLON SINAIUpdated: OCTOBER 8, 2017 13:14Artem Dolgopyat (ISR) Interview - 2017 World Championships - Floor Final, October 7, 2017. (YouTube/
Artem Dolgopyat became just the second Israeli to claim a medal at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships on Saturday, taking a silver in the floor final in Montreal, Canada.The 20-year-old followed in the footsteps of his idol and mentor Alex Shatilov, who took bronze medals in the floor in the 2009 and 2011 editions of the championships. Shatilov decided to skip the competition in Montreal due to the birth of his first child.Dolgopyat registered a score of 14.533, lower than the 14.666 he recorded in the qualifiers, but still good enough for second place behind Kenzo Shirai of Japan, who won his third straight world gold in the floor with 15.633.Dolgopyat was fourth in the floor final at the European Championships earlier this year, with Shatilov, the country's greatest ever gymnast, claiming the bronze.The 30-year-old was participating in his first major competition since his disappointing showing at the Rio Olympics, mulling over the possibility of retirement before deciding to extend his career.Shatilov also claimed a bronze medal at the Europeans in Bern, Switzerland last year and has only missed out on a place on the podium at the continental championships one time since 2008, finishing in fourth place in France in 2015.