For some athletes, the Olympic Games are all about winning a medal. For others,
it is about reaching a final.
However, for the likes of Felix Aronovich,
who has spent his career being overlooked by almost everyone, simply
participating in the Olympics is the realization of a dream many deemed
impossible.
With his Israel colleague Alex Shatilov garnering all the
attention in recent years with historic medals at the World and European
Championships, Aronovich is largely unknown even to avid Israeli sports
fans.
The 23 year old, who moved to Israel from his native Ukraine at the
age of two, secured his place in London just last month after finishing 11th
overall in the Individual All-Around competition at the European Championships
in Montpellier, meeting the Olympic Committee of Israel’s
criteria.
Aronovich, who as a senior at Penn State was a key member of a
squad that finished third at the National Collegiate Championships this year,
knows he has already achieved his goal simply by qualifying for the Olympics,
but he is hoping to also make a mark in London.
“I felt like a huge
massive rock was lifted off me,” Aronovich recently told
International Gymnast
Magazine about booking his place at the 2012 Games. “I wasn’t precisely happy.
Relieved would be the proper word.
“A final on an individual event will
be impractical for me, but I will try to make the (24-gymnast) all-around final.
If I have a good day and things go as they are supposed to, I think I can do
it.”
