Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Artem Dolgopyat on Saturday, saying the gymnast "brings immense honour and national pride to the State of Israel time and again," after Dolgopyat claimed his third European floor exercise title in Zagreb.
Dolgopyat won gold in the floor final at the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships on Friday evening with a score of 14.466, adding to the European titles he first won on the apparatus in 2020 and again in 2022.
The gymnast, who trains out of Maccabi Tel Aviv, is the reigning Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion on floor and took silver at the Paris 2024 Games. He has now amassed two Olympic medals, three world titles and eight European medals on the apparatus over the past nine years, an extraordinary run for an athlete competing in one of the most technically demanding disciplines in the sport.
Netanyahu's statement came alongside congratulations from Culture and Sport Minister Miki Zohar, who phoned Dolgopyat directly after the win and pledged that his ministry would "continue promoting sport in Israel and providing all our athletes with the tools they need to succeed," according to ONE.
Israel Gymnastics Federation chairman Avi Sagi also praised the result, saying Dolgopyat "once again proves he is made of the stuff great champions are built from" and has "continued to deliver tremendous achievements for the State of Israel" throughout his career.
Dolgopyat, who was born in Ukraine and immigrated to Israel with his family as a child, has become one of the country's most decorated Olympians and a familiar face at state ceremonies honouring Israeli sport. Friday's gold keeps him unbeaten on the biggest European stage for floor exercise across three separate championship cycles.
