Team Israel performing in the 2023 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships on August 27, 2023, in Valencia, Spain. Photo: IMAGO/Beautiful Sports via Reuters Connect

Israel’s rhythmic gymnastics team won its second gold medal at the 2023 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Valencia, Spain, on Sunday, two days after being named world champion in the competition’s group all-around final.

The Israeli team won gold in the final event of the competition (three ribbons and two balls) with a score of 34.8 points, a full two points ahead of silver medalist China. Going home with two group gold medals are Israeli team members Shani Banakov, Eliza Banchuk, Romi Paritzki, Ofir Shaham, Diana Svertsov, and reserve Adar Friedmann. Ukraine came in third place.

The team’s gold medal win on Sunday came after the Israeli athletes took home the Jewish state’s first-ever gold medal at the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in the group all-around category on Friday with a score of 70.8. It was the Israeli team’s first group world title in the international competition and its second-ever medal in the all-around event following last year’s silver at the same competition. They beat China and Spain, who took silver and bronze, respectively.

Israel performed on Friday to a dance track that featured the chorus of the 1998 Eurovision-winning song Diva, by Israeli singer Dana International.

Israel also finished in fifth place in the five hoops final with a score of 35.3, performing to a track that included a quote from the 2017 Wonder Woman film starring Israeli actress Gal Gadot in the lead role. In the quote from the film, Gadot’s character says, “I used to want to save the world — this beautiful place. But the closer you get, the more you see the great darkness within.” First place in the hoop final went to China, followed by Spain in second place and Italy in third.