July 25, 2016

Israel’s rhythmic gymnastics team won the gold medal in the ribbons event at the International Federation of Gymnastics (FIG) World Cup Final in Baku, Azerbaijan on Sunday, narrowly topping the Russian team by just 0.15 points.

The win, coming just two weeks before the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, is a fantastic send-off for the athletes, who are expected to reach the podium at the world’s biggest sporting stage.

The Israeli team also won silver at the Baku event in the group all-around category of the competition.

Neta Rivkin, the rhythmic gymnast who will hold Israel’s blue-and-white flag aloft at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games, won a bronze medal in the individual ball event.

“The main aim during the … World Cup is to properly perform the whole program and be confident of readiness for the Olympic Games,” Rivkin told Trend news agency. “I will focus on performing the elements and will do my best to get ready in the best way.”

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