The 26-year-old Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympian, who last won the award in 2009, claimed the historic title when he tied with Britain's Max Whitlock on the floor at the 2013 European Championships in Moscow.

Shatilov, who was born in Uzbekistan and immigrated to Israel in 2002, also became the country's first gymnast to qualify for an event final at the World Championships when he placed seventh on floor in the Danish city if Aarhus in 2006.

He then went on to secure another first when he became the first Israeli gymnast to medal at the World Championships, winning floor bronze at the 2009 edition in London, before repeating the same feat at the 2011 event in Tokyo.

Alexander Shatilov became Israel's first senior gymnast to win a gold medal in the sport when he triumphed on the floor at the 2013 European Championships in Moscow
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Shatilov placed 12th in the all around at London 2012 and qualified for the floor final tied for fourth place, but dropped to sixth during the medal round.

An ankle injury saw him miss this year's World Championships in Antwerp, but he is now preparing for the 2014 season, where he will be doping to defend his European floor title.

He now has his sights set on winning a medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

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