Israel at the Olympics: Alexei Bychenko Wins Second Place Skating to Hava Nagila

Israeli figure skater Alexei Bychenko captured second place in the men's figure skating competition at the 2018 Olympics in South Korea this week. 

The Ukrainian-born flag bearer for the Israeli team performed his routine to an instrumental version of Hava Nagila that started with Sh'ma Yisrael.

As Jenny Singer wrote in The Forward,

As the opening strains of “Hava Nagila” rang out, a nod to his Judaism and the country he now skates for, Bychenko exuded the confidence of a bar mitzvah party motivator, the exuberance of a schnapps-drunk uncle, and the technique of a world class figure skater. With a flawless series of triple lutzes, laybacks, and a perfectly executed quad jumps, Bychenko crushed his season’s best, attaining an 88.49. He ended the night in second place, just behind Japan and far ahead of Nathan Chen, the 18 year-old American champion.

Enjoy!

Read more: https://forward.com/schmooze/394053/israeli-skaters-flawless-hava-nagila-vaults-him-to-second-place-in-mens-fig/

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