In the 8th IAAF World Athletics Championships, in Edmonton, Canada, Israeli pole-vaulter Alexander Averbuch won the Silver Medal with a 5.85 meter leap into the Israeli record books. After the jump, Averbuch entered the stands and climbed up to his father, who was a trainer of the Russian athletic team, and gave him a celebratory hug. For his part, the athlete said to Israeli reporters in Edmonton, “I love my country. I did it for my country. I did it for all of us.”



Born in Irkutsk Russia, Alexander Averbuch made aliyah (immigrated to Israel) in 1999. In 1997, he won the European Under 23 Championships in the decathlon and was the European Indoor Champion for the year 2000 (Pole Vault).