Linoy Ashram – the Lioness from Israel & Master of the Hoop

Hello everyone,

This post is all about Linoy Ashram - Europe’s reigning queen/RG Champion - and her breath-taking hoop routines. I personally admire this gymnast and have great respect for her achievements. Over the past few years, Linoy Ashram has really built a name for herself and has blossomed into a flower much like the desert rose: beautiful, but tough. Linoy has a unique presence on the carpet. It is the presence of someone who is solemn and strong, and who intends to win. If you follow the sport of rhythmic gymnastics, you already know the name of Linoy Ashram, but here is a brief intro.

Linoy is the most accomplished gymnast from Israel of all time. She has won medals and titles from the most prestigious international competitions and is always among the top contestants for the podium. Her routines are fast-paced and abounding with difficulty, risk, and masteries. Linoy also shows innovation through her body work and created the very original element that bears her name - ‘The Ashram’. ‘The Ashram’ is a backbend turn on floor with help, and Linoy performs it in her ball and ribbon routines. The focus of today’s post, however, is going to be on the hoop routines that she performed between 2017-20. I noticed that Linoy has been very consistent in her style with this apparatus, and she always seems to thoroughly enjoy it and execute the hoop routine with flawless precision. The hoop was also her final apparatus at the European Championship 2020 all-around event when she won the gold medal.

The musical choice for all four routines is epic trailer music. The four pieces were created by musical artists Really Slow Motion&Giant Apes, and Audiomachine. The music Linoy chose for each of her routines is summarised in the table below.

What these tracks have in common is that they are all unnerving and thrilling, with pauses and changes of pace which make you catch your breath and create an eerie feel to the routine throughout. I personally think that this type of music really suits Linoy – it is bold and feisty, just like her.

The most memorable hoop routine she performed must be undoubtedly her final performance at the European Championship in Kyiv in 2020. I remember watching her walk on the carpet for that final routine which would determine her becoming Champion. My chest was filled with excitement because the score was so tight, and Harnasko from Belarus was at her toes. But I knew with certainty that if there was someone who could break the score and come first in such a narrow situation, it was going to be Linoy Ashram – not only the master of the hoop, but also a valiant fighter on the carpet. That single performance was significant not only for the competition, but for her entire career. It was truly history-defining. Linoy Ashram did write history and executed her hoop routine with such awe-inspiring determination that the moment the signal marked the end of the routine, I simply knew she had done it! She got the gold – that long-awaited, hard-fought and much-deserved gold medal. I was really happy that it had worked out for her.

It is wonderful to see the successes of your favourite gymnasts. The thrill of watching rhythmic gymnastics competitions is like nothing else. Let me know in the comments below if there is a specific routine that you felt emotional about before/during/after you watched it and that you still remember it because of how it made you feel. I would love to hear from you. As always, thank you for reading.

See you next time,

Melody RG

Link to Linoy Ashram's All-around performances at the European Championships 2020:

link

Hoop Routine 2017 - link

Hoop Routine 2018 - link

Hoop Routine 2019 - link

Hoop Routine 2020 - link

Edited on 13/07/2021 to update multimedia.