Israel Places Sixth in Artistic Swimming at European Championships in Paris

The Israeli artistic swimming team achieved a notable sixth place finish in the acrobatic routine final at the European Championships held in Paris on August 5, 2026. The team scored 188.4286 points, outperforming Portugal and Bulgaria in a direct final format. The routine included a high-difficulty element featuring a double somersault, which earned a base score, while other elements received high marks, including artistic impression scores of eight, marking an excellent performance for the young team.

Yaara Sharabi returned to compete in the final routine after suffering a head injury about a week before the championships. Despite a recent concussion and under medical supervision by team doctor Dr. Naama Konstantini, Sharabi was cleared to perform all acrobatic elements at a high level. The acrobatic routine team members included Yogev Dagan, Kati Konin, Alexandra Lerman, Noga Levi, Lior Makmel, Shay Shar Shalom Nachmad, Yaara Sharabi, and Ella Steiner.

Overall, the Israeli team reached the finals in all six events they entered, finishing in the top ten each time against Europe's strongest teams. Their placements included fifth in the mixed technical duet, sixth in the acrobatic routine, seventh in both free and technical group routines, eighth in the free duet, and tenth in the technical duet. Coach Valeria Aprilova praised the team’s artistic impression scores and highlighted the strong debut of substitute Noa Tzarfati and Sharabi’s successful comeback.

In parallel, Israeli open water swimmer Ofek Adir finished 19th in the 5 km race with a time of 1:03:44.9, closely trailing the winner, Italian swimmer Ginevra Taddeucci. Jonathan Achdut placed 27th in the men's event with a time of 1:00:25.3, narrowly behind a Turkish competitor decided by a photo finish. The Israeli athletes will rest on August 6 before competing in the new 3 km knockout event on August 7, which includes heats, semifinals, and finals all on the same day.

The team plans to take a short break before resuming training in September, with intentions to refresh their group routines creatively after three years.