September 5, 2012, Updated October 2, 2012

A two shekel silver proof commemorative coin, issued to mark the participation of Israel’s Olympic delegation in the 2012 London Olympics, won first place as the “Finest Coin Minted in 2011” in the ninth International Prize Vicenza Numismatica competition.

Twelve mints presented 42 coins at the annual Italian fair dedicated to banknotes, coins, and medals collecting.

The winning coin is dedicated to gymnastics. Even though it was minted prior to the Olympic Games, one of Israel’s top achievements in London at the Olympics was by Neta Rivkin, who finished seventh overall in the individual all-around rhythmic gymnastics event.

The judges said they chose designer David Harel’s coin because of its “elegant synthesis and integration of the performing figure and the ribbon which forms a Star of David, and the harmony between the obverse and reverse sides of the coin.”

The winning coin is the third coin in a series marking the Israeli delegation’s participation in the Olympics. The first was issued to mark the Israeli delegation’s participation in the 2004 Athens Olympics and was dedicated to windsurfing; the second coin was issued to commemorate the Israeli delegation’s participation in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was dedicated to judo.

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