Artem Dolgopyat

Ukrainian-born Israeli artistic gymnast

Artem Dolgopyat
Dolgopyat at Beit HaNassi, August 2021
Personal information
Full nameArtem Olegovich Dolgopyat
Country represented Israel
Born (1997-06-16) 16 June 1997 (age 26)
Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine
ResidenceRishon LeZion, Israel
Height1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)[1]
Weight59 kg (130 lb)[1]
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
ClubMaccabi Tel Aviv
Head coach(es)Sergey Vaisburg [2]

Artem Olegovich Dolgopyat (Hebrew: ארטיום אולגוביץ' דולגופיאט; Ukrainian: Артем Олегович Долгопят; born 16 June 1997) is a Ukrainian-born Israeli artistic gymnast who specializes in the floor exercise. He is the 2020 Olympic champion and the 2023 World champion on floor exercise.[3] He also won two silver medals at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships on the floor exercise, and is the 2020 and 2022 European champion of that exercise.[4]

Early life

Artem Dolgopyat was born in Dnipropetrovsk (now Dnipro), Ukraine. Dolgopyat's father Oleg is a former gymnast, is Jewish, and Dolgopyat's mother Angela Bilan is not Jewish.[5][6][7]

In 2009 at the age of 12, Dolgopyat immigrated with his family to Israel, where they lived in Lod.[5][8] He joined the gymnastics team of Maccabi Tel Aviv where he was trained by Israeli coach Sergey Vaisburg.[9][10] His parents divorced in 2012.[11] He attended the Shevah Mofet school in Tel Aviv, Israel; however he later dropped out of high school due to language difficulties and the burden of training.[12][13] He later studied at Tel Aviv University.[2]

He enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces, served at the Tel HaShomer base, and became a sergeant.[14][15][16][13] He lives with his fiancee, Maria Sakovich, a translator in four languages.[6][17][8]

Athletic career

Early career

By the age of 12, when he moved to Israel, Dolgopyat was already a two-time national champion in Ukraine for his age group.[13]

In August 2014, at the age of 17, Dolgopyat competed in the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China, and finished 5th in vault, 7th in floor exercise, and 10th in the individual all-around event.[18]

2015-16

On September 19, 2015, Dolgopyat competed in 'Grand Prix Osijek' in Croatia, and won the gold medal in floor exercise, scoring 14.800.[19][20]

Later that year, Dolgopyat won the floor exercise in the Israeli Championship for the first time, defeating Israeli Olympian Alexander Shatilov, who later became his mentor and friend.[15]

At the end of 2016, he took three months off from the sport, due to back pain.[12]

2017

On April 22, 2017, Dolgopyat competed for his first time in the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and finished 4th in the floor exercise with a score of 14.33, one place behind bronze medalist Shatilov.[21][22]

On May 20, 2017, Dolgopyat won the silver medal in the 2017 Grand Prix Osijek after scoring 14.700.[23]

In July 2017, Dolgopyat competed in the 2017 Maccabiah Games in Israel, where he won two gold medals in the floor exercise and pommel horse, and a bronze medal in the vault.[24]

In October 2017, at the 2017 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships held in Montreal, Canada, Dolgopyat won the silver medal in the floor exercise after scoring 14.533, behind Japan's three-time world champion Kenzō Shirai, while competing with an injured right foot.[5][2][25][26][27] He garnered the best Israeli result ever at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships as he became the second Israeli gymnast to win a medal in the Championships (after his mentor and trainer Alex Shatilov, who won bronze medals in 2009 and 2011), and the first to win a silver medal.[2]

He was named the 2017 Israeli Sportsman of the Year.[2]

2018

Dolgopyat in 2018

In August 2018 at the 2018 European Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, he won the silver medal in the floor exercise after scoring 14.466.[28]

That year, he also won a number of medals on floor; gold from World Challenge Cup Paris,[29] gold from World Challenge Cup Szombathely,[30] silver from World Challenge Cup Koper,[31] and silver from World Challenge Cup Osijek.[32]

2019-20

At the 2019 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships held in Stuttgart, Germany, Dolgopyat won the silver medal for the second time on floor exercise with a score of 15.200 behind Carlos Yulo of the Philippines, who scored a 15.300. Dolgopyat and Yulo were both awarded the same execution score of 8.800, but the latter had a higher difficulty score of 6.5 versus the former's 6.4, which resulted in Yulo securing this win.[33][34]

That year, Dolgopyat also competed at the 2019 European Championships held in Szczecin, Poland, and won the silver medal in the floor exercise after scoring 14.900 in the final[35]

At the 2020 European Championships in Mersin, Turkey, he won two medals; gold on the floor exercise with a score of 15.000 and bronze on the vault.[36] Dolgopyat became the second Israeli gymnast to win a European gold. He qualified to the floor final from the second place with a score of 14.933 and finished first in the final after scoring 15.000.[37] On the vault, Dolgopyat scored an average of 14.483 in the final and finished third.[38]

2020 Summer Olympics

At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, he won gold for Israel on the floor exercise.[39][40][41][42][43] It was Israel's first Olympic medal in gymnastics, and second-ever gold medal at the Olympics.[2] Dolgopyat competed on the pommel horse and the floor exercise. He did not qualify to the pommel horse final after scoring 12.766 in qualifications. On the floor exercise, he qualified to the final in first place after scoring 15.200. On the floor exercise final, he scored 14.933, same as Rayderley Zapata from Spain, but finished first due to a higher difficulty score.[44] He said: "I wanted to cry on the medal podium but couldn’t, because I was in a storm of emotions. I cried on the inside."[45] Immediately after his win he said that his next dream was to win the medal again at the 2024 Paris Olympics.[46] His father said he was ecstatic at his son's success, and then added "No matter what, he could’ve done much better, but we don’t judge the winners.”[47]

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett interrupted the weekly Israeli Cabinet meeting and called Dolgopyat, to congratulate him on winning his gold medal.[48] Dolgopyat received a hero’s reception at the Tel Aviv airport upon returning to Israel.[49]

2021-22

Along with fellow Israeli gymnastic gold medalist Linoy Ashram he was named No. 47 on The Jerusalem Post's Top 50 Most Influential Jews of 2021.[50]

At the 2022 Senior European Championships in Munich, Germany, he won the gold medal in the floor exercise.[2]

2023

In March 2023 he tore a ligament in his knee during training.[2] Still, at the 2023 European Championships in Antalya, Turkey, he won the silver medal in the floor exercise.[2] After the tournament, he took 10 weeks away from gymnastics to rehabilitate his knee injury and an Achilles tendon injury.[2]

At the 2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, he won the gold medal in the floor exercise.[2] He had withdrawn from the all-around final where he was the 8th qualifier, in order to rest before the floor final.[51] He had been awakened the morning of his competition at 5:30 AM because of his phone was warning of multiple rocket attacks from Gaza on his home city in Israel, and then by news of hundreds of Israelis having been killed and wounded and dozens kidnapped by Hamas in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on towns in Israel.[51] Dolgopyat decided that he wound not withdraw from the final despite the mental toll the massacre was having on him, and said: "It was very difficult for me to disconnect. When I got to the arena, I told myself that I have to be in the competition and that’s it.”[51] He put black ribbons on the Israeli flag and on his left arm to mourn the Israeli victims.[51] He said: "A very difficult day for our country. I finished the day as the World champion but my mind and my heart are at home."[51] His victory was the first ever by an Israeli gymnast at an Artistic Gymnastics World Championship.[52]

2024-present

Dolgopyat will represent Israel at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris in Men's individual all-around starting on July 27, 2024, with a final on July 31.[53]

Achievements

Source:[42]

Year Tournament City Apparatus Place Ref.
2015 World Challenge Cup Osijek Floor 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2017 World Challenge Cup Osijek Floor 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
World Championships Montreal Floor 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
2018 World Challenge Cup Osijek Floor 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Koper Floor 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
European Championships Glasgow Floor 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
World Challenge Cup Szombathely Floor 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Paris Floor 1st place, gold medalist(s)
World Cup Cottbus Floor 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2019 World Cup Baku Floor 1st place, gold medalist(s)
European Championships Szczecin Floor 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
World Challenge Cup Osijek Floor 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Szombathely Floor 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Paris Floor 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
World Championships Stuttgart Floor 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
2020 European Championships Mersin Floor 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Vault 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2021 World Challenge Cup Varna Floor 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
World Cup Doha Floor 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Olympic Games Tokyo Floor 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2022 World Cup Doha Floor 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Cairo Floor 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Vault 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Baku Floor 1st place, gold medalist(s) [54]
Vault 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
European Championships Munich Floor 1st place, gold medalist(s)
World Challenge Cup Paris Vault 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2023 World Cup Cottbus Floor 1st place, gold medalist(s)
World Championships Antwerp Floor 1st place, gold medalist(s)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Gymnastics - Artem Dolgopyat (Israel)," the-sports.org.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "DOLGOPYAT Artem - FIG Athlete Profile". www.gymnastics.sport.
  3. ^ "Artem Dolgopyat wins historic gymnastics gold medal for Israel". Olympics.com. 1 August 2021. Archived from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  4. ^ Rakovsky, Ido (21 August 2022). "Israel's Artem Dolgopyat takes gold in European gymnastics championships" – via Haaretz.
  5. ^ a b c Deuel, Elyasaf (1 August 2021). "Artem Dolgopyat's road to Olympic glory". ynetnews.com.
  6. ^ a b "Artem Dolgopyat's plight highlights Israel's golden double standard". The Jerusalem Post. 5 August 2021.
  7. ^ Kellman, Laurie (3 August 2021). "Olympian Dolgopyat arrives home to hero's welcome in Israel". AP News. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Israel's Olympic gold revives civil marriage cause". France 24. 3 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Artem Dolgopyat became Athlete of the Year". Gymnovosti. 27 December 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  10. ^ "Dolgopyat Artem," Archived 2017-10-10 at the Wayback Machine fig-gymnastics.com.
  11. ^ "Отец Артема Долгопята: "Мы рады, что живем в Израиле, остальное – личное дело"". Vesti (in Russian). 2 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Artem Dolgopyat is closing in on Shatilov". Gymnovosti. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  13. ^ a b c "Dolgopyat: The day of the floor final I couldn’t step on my foot," Archived 2019-10-13 at the Wayback Machine Gymnovosti.
  14. ^ [1]
  15. ^ a b "From Ukraine to Israel to Tokyo: Journey of an Olympic gold medalist | The Times of Israel".
  16. ^ "דולגופיאט בארץ: מקווה שיבואו לקראתי בצה"ל" [Dolgopyat: Hope the IDF will come towards me and help]. ONE (in Hebrew). 9 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  17. ^ "Enough of the legal gymnastics: Why Israel should let its gold medalist marry". The Times of Israel.
  18. ^ Sinai, Allon (28 August 2014). "Israel's young athletes can't find the podium at the Youth Olympic Games in China". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  19. ^ "התעמלות: דולגופיאט זכה בזהב בקרואטיה" [Gymnastics: Dolgopyat won gold in Croatia]. ynet (in Hebrew). 19 September 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  20. ^ "Gymnastics: Challenge Cup Artistic Gymnastics - Osijek 2015 - Results Men," the-sports.org.
  21. ^ "2017 European Championships Results". clujeurogym2017. April 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  22. ^ name=autogenerated4>"Israeli gymnast Artem Dolgopyat wins silver at World Championships," The Times of Israel. 8 October 2017.
  23. ^ "Men Floor Exercise Final Results, FIG World Challenge Cup Osijek 2017" (PDF). gymnasticsresults.com. 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  24. ^ "2017 Maccabiah Games Gymnastics Results". Maccabiah.com. July 2017. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  25. ^ Sinai, Allon (7 October 2017). "Israel's Dolgopyat takes silver in gymnastics Worlds". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  26. ^ "Men Floor Exercise Final Results, World Championship 2017" (PDF). gymnasticsresults.com. 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  27. ^ "Israeli gymnast Artem Dolgopyat wins silver at World Championships". The Times of Israel. 8 October 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  28. ^ "Israel's Artem Dolgopyat takes silver at European Gymnastics Championships". The Times of Israel. 12 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  29. ^ "Men Floor Exercise Final Results, FIG World Challenge Cup Paris 2018" (PDF). Internationaux de France de Gymnastique. September 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  30. ^ "Szombathely Challenge Cup MAG results". Gymnastics Coaching. 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  31. ^ "Men Floor Exercise Final Results, FIG World Challenge Cup Koper 2018". gymnasticsresults.com. 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  32. ^ "Men Floor Exercise Final Results, FIG World Challenge Cup Osijek 2018" (PDF). gymnasticsresults.com. 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  33. ^ Katzir, Itamar (12 October 2019). "Israeli Gymnast Snags Silver Medal at World Championship". Haaretz. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  34. ^ Oster, Marcy (14 October 2019). "Israeli gymnast Artem Dolgopyat wins silver at World Championships". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  35. ^ "2019 European Gymnastics Championship, Floor Exercise Final Results" (PDF). europeangymnastics.com. 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  36. ^ Katzir, Itamar (13 December 2020). "Israeli Gymnast Wins Both Gold and Bronze at European Championship". Haaretz. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  37. ^ "Men Floor Exercise Final Results, European Championship 2020" (PDF). gymnasticsresults.com. 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  38. ^ "Men Vault Final Results, European Championship 2020" (PDF). gymnasticsresults.com. 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  39. ^ "Israeli Gymnast Artem Dolgopyat Makes History, Nabs Gold Medal at Tokyo Olympics". Haaretz. 1 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  40. ^ Aharoni, Oren (1 August 2021). "Israeli gymnast Artem Dolgopyat claims gold at Tokyo Games". Ynet News. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  41. ^ "Tokyo Olympics: Artem Dolgopyat win Israel's first gymnastic title with floor gold". BBC Sport. 1 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  42. ^ a b "Artistic Gymnastics DOLGOPYAT Artem". 2020 Summer Olympics. Archived from the original on 13 October 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  43. ^ "Artistic Gymnastics - Final Results". 2020 Summer Olympics. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  44. ^ "Tie Break Report" (PDF). Olympic Committee. 1 August 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  45. ^ [2]
  46. ^ [3]
  47. ^ [4]
  48. ^ [5]
  49. ^ "For dedicated Dolgopyat, the road to Paris begins in Cottbus". www.gymnastics.sport.
  50. ^ "Israel's golden pair: Linoy Ashram and Artem Dolgopyat". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 13 September 2021.
  51. ^ a b c d e "Dolgopyat on winning gold: I couldn't celebrate, I was only thinking about the situation in Israel". 8 October 2023.
  52. ^ "Olympic champions lead the way as first apparatus titles decided in Antwerp". www.gymnastics.sport.
  53. ^ "2024 Olympic Gymnastics Qualification: Who's qualified for the Paris Olympics?" | NBC Olympics". nbcolympics.com.
  54. ^ Maman, Asi (2 April 2022). "Dolgopyat wins gold at the Floor Exercise in Baku as well". Ynet sport (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2 April 2022.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Artem Dolgopyat.
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Olympic Champions in Artistic Gymnastics – Men's Floor Exercise
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Israel Olympic medalists for Israel
Gold medalists Gold
Silver medalists Silver
Bronze medalists Bronze