Marathon and rhythmic gymnastics bring more Israeli disappointment
Runner Zemiro comes in 81st; gymnasts bottom out in finals
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Israel completed its below-par participation in the London Olympics on Sunday, with marathon runner Zohar Zemiro finishing in a very disappointing 81st position. The rhythmic gymnastics team, which had done well to reach the finals, finished in bottom spot among the top eight countries.
As expected, those final events left Israel without a medal at the Olympics for the first time since Seoul in 1988.
Zemiro finished the marathon in 2:34:59. Ugandan Stephen Kiprotich took the gold medal with a time of 2:08:01. Kenyan runners took home both the silver and bronze medals. Only four runners finished the marathon after Zemiro, while 20 runners were unable to complete the race.
Zemiro, 35, was given medical treatment after the race due to exhaustion. His final time was 20 minutes slower than his personal best of 2:14:28 at the Amsterdam Marathon in April 2011.
The gymnasts were placed eighth after the first routine, with the balls, and failed to improve despite a solid performance in the second of the two events, with ribbons and hoops. Russia took gold.
Israel’s individual rhythmic gymnast, Neta Rivkin, had performed well in all four of her routines at the London Games on Saturday, to secure a best-ever Israeli finish in the event.
Rivkin, 21, finished seventh out of 10 overall, making her the most successful rhythmic gymnast in Israeli Olympic history. Rivkin was chosen to carry the Israeli flag at the closing ceremony of the Games on Sunday.
The Times of Israel Community.