In an impressive evening held in the VIP hall of the Bloomfield Stadium, today (Sunday) the Olympic Committee concluded the year 2022 and awarded prizes to the outstanding. Long-distance runner Luna Chemtai Salpeter was named Female Athlete of the Year, and the Olympic Committee Athlete of the Year is apparatus gymnast Artyom Dolgupiat.
During the last year, Salpeter won a bronze medal in the marathon of the World Championships in Athletics, while Dolgopiat, the gold medalist from the Olympic Games in Tokyo, won the European Championships in the floor exercise last year.
In the category of the young athlete of the year, the sprinter Blessing Afripa won, as you remember, he was crowned the world champion in the 200 meter run under the age of 20. The young athlete of 2022 is Daniela Peleg, the runner-up of the world champion in windsurfing.
Other awards handed out tonight: Breakthrough of the year – the artistic gymnastics team that won a gold medal at the European Championships and a silver medal at the World Championships. Coach of the year – Ayelet Zusman who works personally both with artistic gymnast Daria Atmanov and with the entire team. Coach of the year – Shani Hershko from the women’s judo team, which was very successful in 2022 and whose outstanding achievement was Tamna Nelson Levy winning the European Championship.
During the evening, the Olympic Committee said goodbye to the outgoing Minister of Culture and Sports, Hili Trooper, who praised the Olympic athletes, told how much he learned during his term about the Olympic sports and even signed off with the statement: “I love you.”
The Olympic Committee is counting more than a year and a half to the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 and aiming for an achievement no less great than the one recorded in Tokyo, where, as I recall, Israel won four medals – two of them gold, by Dolgopiat and Linoy Ashram.