Israeli gymnastics world champion auctions off gold medal
On the day of the Hamas terror attack on Israel, Artem Dolgopyat climbs the gymnastics throne. Now the Israeli world champion is auctioning off his newly won gold medal to donate the proceeds to those affected. The Ukrainian-born gymnast owes the country a great deal.
The Israeli gymnastics world champion Artem Dolgopyat is auctioning off his gold medal for a good cause. The 26-year-old was the first Israeli to win the world championship title on the floor in Antwerp on October 7, the day of the Hamas terror attack on Israel. He wants to use the proceeds to help those affected near the border with the Gaza Strip. "What is the status of world champion worth if my country is in a bad way? For me, the Israeli state comes first!" Dolgopyat shared on Instagram.
Born in Ukraine, he also won gold on the floor at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo and is considered one of Israel's greatest athletes. He won silver on the floor at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships and won a gold medal for his floor routine at the 2022 European Gymnastics Championships in Munich, despite injuring his foot a month earlier.
"Giving something back to the country"
Dolgopyat added that he would say goodbye to the medal "without pain, but with a lot of emotion". He explained that this prize was "the culmination" of his ambitions "after the Olympic medal" in Tokyo. The auction price for the World Championship gold medal starts at 100,000 US dollars (just over 90,000 euros).
"But today I know that there is something even more important than that," continued the athlete, who emigrated with his family from Ukraine to Israel at the age of twelve. "I'm not going to lie, it's not easy for me, but I feel that by giving away the medal I will be able to really give something back to the country that gave me so much."
When Dolgopyat won the medal two and a half months ago in Belgium, he didn't feel like cheering. A mourning flag was stuck to the Israeli flag he had wrapped himself in. At the time, Dolgopyat could see the horror at the many deaths and injuries caused by the major Hamas attack on Israel. It was "a very difficult day for our country", Dolgopyat wrote on Instagram shortly after his World Cup victory, adding: "We pray for better days."
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The gold medal won by Israeli gymnastics world champion Artem Dolgopyat during the Hamas terror attack on Gaza is being auctioned to support those affected in the region. Despite his success in gymnastics, Dolgopyat emphasized that his country's well-being is more important to him, stating, "What is the status of world champion worth if my country is in a bad way?"
Artem Dolgopyat, the Israeli gymnast who won gold at the World Championships in Gaza's shadow, is selling his medal to aid those affected by the conflict. The champion, who moved to Israel from Ukraine and has garnered numerous gold medals in his career, believes it's his duty to help those in need within his adopted homeland.
Source: www.ntv.de
