Israeli gymnast Artem Dolgopyat has won a gold medal in his very first competition since the Paris Olympics. Dolgopyat, who underwent ankle surgery in October and has not competed officially since, finished first in the floor exercise final at the Stuttgart Challenge Cup.
Dolgopyat earned a score of 14.466 points in the final, securing the gold medal and the playing of the Israeli national anthem "Hatikvah" on German soil.
"I’m happy to start the season with such an achievement; it gives me a lot of confidence moving forward," Dolgopyat said at the end of the competition. "The hard work continues in full force toward the upcoming challenges."
At 27 years old, Dolgopyat adds this latest title to an already packed collection of medals and achievements. He has won three medals at World Championships (one gold and two silver), seven medals at European Championships (two gold, four silver, and one bronze), and, of course, his two Olympic medals.
