Gymnastics The European Gymnastics Cup was held this week in Vienna, leaving Team Israel without medals. Israel had big hopes for Neta Rivkin, its top gymnast who competed over the weekend in the championships, but will need to wait for the next big international competition for Rivkin to better her performance. The Israeli, who will turn 22 this month, finished the Hoop Routines in the 6th place scoring 17.566, and she scored 17.182 on her Ball Routine landing in the 7th place in the competition. Despite not …More

Another great week for Israeli athletes across the board in international competitions, as more of Israel’s national teams returned home with medals. Israelis brought home medals in judo, gymnastics and shooting. Sergey Richter won bronze at Ft. Benning, GA in Olympic-style shooting on Monday, adding another medal to his career. The 23-year-old Israeli won the European title in February, and was ranked 4th in the world. This medal is Richter’s second in the current season’s world competition …More

A young Russian immigrant received her Israeli citizenship Wednesday, and will now be able to represent Israel in official gymnastics tournaments. Twelve year-old Ksanya Kasrin has been waiting for this day for six years. Until recently, she registered for international competitions with her Russian passport, not as a part of Team Israel. Kasrin is currently ranked third in Israel, and recently won the Bronze medal in a Russian competition for her age group. She is considered a great talent and hope for …More

Alex Shatilov won the gold medal in the floor exercise final at the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Moscow Saturday, tying for first place. Shatilov has many medals in his closet from his successful athletic career, but up until now had never won gold. He is now marked as the most successful Israeli gymnast. Shatilov recorded a result of 15.333 points, alongside Britain’s Max Whitlock who achieved the exact same score. “Nothing can be compared to this feeling. This is the most …More

Jewish gymnast Aly Raisman has just signed a huge endorsement deal with Pandora Jewelry. The world champion will be involved in the jewelry company’s 2013 print campaign, appearing in ads, in-store venues, and posting to Pandora’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. The Boston native’s first public appearance will be on Saturday October 6, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Pandora store in Stonebriar Centre Mall in Frisco, Texas. Already feeling the benefits of the deal, Aly posted a picture of the …More

Gold-winning American Jewish gymnast Aly Raisman has accepted an invitation from Israel Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein for her and her family to make their first visit to Israel. Raisman, who performs floor routines to the melody of “Hava Nagilah,” won an individual gold medal in her floor exercise last week and a bronze on the balance beam after helping the U.S. women’s team take the gold. The Jerusalem Post reported that Edelstein wrote an impassioned letter congratulating Raisman …More

Jewish-Olympic gymnast Alexandra Raisman took home her second gold medal yesterday, paying homage to the Munich 11 in the process. Raisman became the first US woman to win top honors in the Olympic floor event, marking her second gold and third medal overall at this summer’s London games. Exiting the floor, media asked Raisman about her song choice for the competition—she performed to the tune of “Hava Nagila”—and whether it was selected in line with this year’s 40th …More