JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli judoka Arik Zeevi won a gold medal at the prestigious Moscow Grand Prix.
Zeevi’s victory in Sunday’s final against Cyrille Maret of France brings him within a few points of qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics. It was the second Israeli medal in the competition; Yarden Gerbi secured the bronze medal the previous day.
Egyptian competitor Ramadan Darwish refused to shake Zeevi’s hand after his defeat Sunday in the quarterfinals despite an order by the referee. After repeated requests, Darwish returned to execute the traditional bow, which he did toward the referee.
Zeevi won a bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004.
Also Sunday, Israeli rhythmic gymnast Neta Rivkin placed second with the clubs apparatus at the 2011 Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championship in Belarus.
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