Israeli rhythmic gymnast bags three golds in Spanish competition

Linoy Ashram wins in hoop, clubs and ribbons, all in a single day

Israel's Linoy Ashram performs during the individual all-around final at the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships at Arena Armeec in Sofia on September 14, 2018 (AFP PHOTO / Dimitar DILKOFF)
Israel's Linoy Ashram performs during the individual all-around final at the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships at Arena Armeec in Sofia on September 14, 2018 (AFP PHOTO / Dimitar DILKOFF)

Israeli rhythmic gymnast Linoy Ashram won three gold medals Sunday at the Grand Prix Marbella in Spain, scooping up top honors in the hoop, clubs, and ribbons competitions.

Ashram, 19, began her winning streak by taking first place in the hoop contest with a score of 21.050. Fellow Israeli Nicol Voronkov came fifth in that discipline with a score of 18.850.

Next, Ashram scored 21.650 in the clubs contest, equal to the score of Arina Averina, the European all-round champion of last year. However, Ashram scored more points for execution of her routine, even though it was technically easier than that of her rival, and so took first place.

In the ribbon competition Ashram scored 20.7, completing her trio of medals.

In September Ashram won the silver medal in the individual all-around final at the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.

It was Ashram’s third medal of the competition, after she nabbed a bronze in the rope final and a silver in the hoop final.

The athlete’s string of accomplishments make her a favorite to win a medal in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

At the 2016 games in Brazil, Israel finished sixth in the group all-around, and Neta Rivkin, previously considered Israel’s best rhythmic gymnast, finished 16th in the individual competition.

In August Ashram broke a world record at the Gymnastics World Cup with a score of 20.65 for her clubs demonstration, surpassing the 20.05 record set at the 2018 European Championships by Averina.

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