Artyom Dolgopyat Wins Third European Floor Exercise Title in Zagreb

Israeli gymnast Artyom Dolgopyat secured his third European Championship gold medal in the floor exercise on Friday at the competition held in Zagreb, Croatia. Dolgopyat qualified for the final in second place with a score of 14.766, achieving a difficulty rating of 5.8, an execution score of 8.866, and a 0.1 bonus without deductions. In the final, he repeated the 5.8 difficulty, scored 8.666 in execution, and received a 0.1 bonus, finishing with 14.466 points despite a 0.1 deduction. Although his routine was not the most difficult, his superior execution earned him the victory.

In the final, Dolgopyat overcame Russian gymnast Arseni Dokhno, who competed under the World Gymnastics 2 flag and finished second with 14.333 points. British gymnast Harry Hepworth took bronze with 14.300 points. Dolgopyat had been narrowly behind Dokhno in qualifications by 0.067 points but reversed the outcome in the final with a 0.133-point lead.

Avi Shagai, chairman of the Israeli Gymnastics Federation, praised Dolgopyat's talent, determination, and consistent high-level performance, calling him a "true champion." Dolgopyat previously won European floor exercise gold in 2020 and 2022 and has amassed eight European Championship medals since 2018, including three golds, four silvers on floor, and a bronze on vault in 2020.

This victory marks Dolgopyat's return to the top of the European podium after finishing seventh in the 2023 floor final. He also holds a historic Olympic record, winning Israel's first Olympic gymnastics medal with gold in Tokyo 2020 and silver in Paris 2024, narrowly missing gold by 0.034 points to Carlos Yulo.