Rhythmic gymnastics team secures spot in finals in London Games

Israel secured its spot in the group rhythmic gymnastics finals at the London Games Friday.

Under veteran coach Raya Irgo, the gymnasts came in 7th place at the end of the qualifying round. Eight teams went through to the finals, which will be held Sunday.

The five-member team gave a solid performance as they danced to a klezmer-infused version of the Hebrew classic “Hava Nagila.”

Earlier Friday, Israeli rhythmic gymnast Neta Rivkin also leapt to the finals after her ribbon routine in the individual qualifiers. She scored 27.725 in her ribbon routine — boosting her overall score to 108.9 — and 9th place overall. The individual finals will be held Saturday.

Donning a green-and-yellow leotard, a smiling Rivkin danced her last qualifying routine to a boisterous mashup of “Shalom Aleichem.” Her upbeat and expressive performance was a crowd-pleaser.

Rivkin had been in 14th place after the first day of the preliminary round on Thursday. She received a mark of 27.450 in the hoop apparatus and a 26.200 in her performance with the ball. She lost significant points during her second routine, dropping the ball and having to scamper after it to recover it.

The 21-year-old won a silver medal in the club apparatus at the 2011 European Championships, and a bronze medal with the hoop at the 2011 World Championships. These are her second Olympics; she placed 14th in her debut at the ’08 Beijing Games.