Israeli triple jump champion finishes fifth in Rio
Hanna Knyazyeva-Minenko misses out in day’s second disappointment, after windsurfer Maayan Davidovich placed seventh
In another disappointment for Israel at the Rio Games on Sunday, track and field champion Hanna Knyazyeva-Minenko failed to win an Olympic medal in the women’s triple jump finals, finishing in fifth place.
Knyazyeva-Minenko’s longest jump in the round measured at 14.68 meters. It was her fourth attempt.
Her first jump came in at 14.20 meters, the same distance that earned her a spot in the finals round. Her second attempt measured 14.39 meters and her third was 14.32.
Caterine Ibarguen of Colombia won the triple jump at the Rio Games, with a jump of 15.17 meters on her fourth attempt to win the gold. Yulimar Rochas of Venezuela took silver with 14.98 and defending champion Olga Rypakova of Kazakhstan settled for bronze with 14.74.
Knyazyeva-Minenko, 27, who placed fourth at the 2012 Olympics and won a silver medal at the European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam last month, holds Israel’s national triple jump record.
Earlier Sunday, Israeli windsurfer Maayan Davidovich missed on a medal in the final race of the RS:X women’s competition.
Davidovich, 28, finished in ninth place in the final race, with a time of 24 minutes and 46 seconds. She wound up in seventh place overall.
On Tuesday, Israeli judoka Yarden Gerbi won the country’s first medal at the 2016 Olympics, taking the bronze in the women’s under-63 kg competition.
Gerbi’s medal made her the first Israeli Olympic medalist since windsurfer Shahar Tzuberi took home the bronze in the 2008 games in Beijing.
On Friday, fellow judoka Or Sasson won the country’s second medal of the Games, also taking home the bronze in the men’s over-100 kg competition.
Sasson brushed off an unpleasant encounter with his defeated Egyptian opponent, Islam El-Shahaby, in the first round, going on to win two more fights and claim his place in the semifinals against France’s legendary Teddy Riner. He lost narrowly to Riner, but then beat Cuba’s Alex Mendoza to claim bronze.
