July 22, 2009
NORMAL, Ill. -
Illinois State gymnast Hannah Deutsch returned from competing in the Maccabiah Games in Israel, bearing two silver medals and one bronze medal.
Deutsch competed on the balance beam and floor exercise, qualifying for the finals in both events. Her qualifying scores were a 12.8 on beam, the second highest score of the competition, and 12.4 on floor. In the event finals, Deutsch received a silver medal on the balance beam with a 12.8 and a bronze medal on floor exercise with a 12.6, jumping from eighth to third place.
Team USA earned a silver medal in the overall competition, coming in second behind Israel's national team while Canada took third place. Deutsch was also asked to perform on balance beam in the Gala Show.
ISU gymnastics head coach Bob Conkling spent months preparing Deutsch for the competition and waited eagerly to hear how she had performed.
"I'm not surprised at how well Hannah and the US team did at the Maccabiah Games," said Conkling. "Hannah is such a strong and consistent competitor. I'm proud and happy for Hannah. How great it is for her to receive three international medals to go along with all the success she has had both as a club gymnast and as an ISU gymnast the past two years."
Along with practice and preparation for the competition, Deutsch was able to experience the culture and historical landmarks of Israel.
"Everything has been amazing," said Deutsch. "The first week here was filled with tours. We practiced from 7 to 9:30 am and then we were on a tour bus by noon. We toured all day and usually didn't get back until almost midnight. It was intense. We floated in the Dead Sea. We went and saw the Western Wall. We toured the Holocaust Museum/Memorial called Yad Vashem, which was unbelievable. I got to go to the top of Masada, a mountain home to ancient ruins. We also crawled through caves. Everything we did was a first-time experience for me."
For Deutsch, one of the most memorable parts of the Maccabiah Games was the opening ceremony.
"The opening ceremony was amazing," said Deutsch. "Walking into the stadium and hearing everyone cheer for you when your country was announced was awesome. I felt like an Olympian. This was the time where everyone trades shirts, hats, pins and other things from each country. I am excited because I traded for a hat from the German team that says Deutschland on it."
Deutsch will return to Illinois State in the fall for her junior year and to continue as a member of the gymnastics team.
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