Alona Tal Franco
| Alona Tal Franco | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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אלונה טל פרנקו | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tal Franco at the 2023 Junior World Championships | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 7 March 2009 Israel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gymnastics career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Rhythmic gymnastics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country represented | Israel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Maccabi Tel Aviv | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach(es) | Ayelet Zussman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Alona Tal Franco (Hebrew: אלונה טל פרנקו; born 7 March 2009) is an Israeli rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2023 Junior World champion with the hoop and a silver medalist in the team event and the 2024 Junior European silver medalist in the hoop and with the team. She won a gold medal in the team event at the 2022 Junior European Championships. On national level, she is the 2022 Israeli Junior all-around champion.
Early life
Tal Franco was born on 7 March 2009. She has a twin brother named Adam who competes in artistic gymnastics. She was put into rhythmic gymnastics in first grade because of her natural flexibility.[1]
Gymnastics career
Junior
In June 2022, Tal Franco was selected for her first European Championships in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributing a hoop routine toward the gold medal in the team event with Daniela Munits, Michelle Munits, and Lian Rona,[2] as well as bronze in the hoop final behind Elvira Krasnobaeva and Liliana Lewinska.[3]
In July 2023, she competed at the Junior World Championships in Cluj-Napoca, where she became Junior World champion with the hoop,[4][5][6] and she won silver in the team event alongside Lian Rona, Regina Polishchuk, Yael Aloni Goldblatt and the junior national group.[7]
The following year, she competed in the 2024 European Cup in Baku, winning gold medals in the team event with Meital Maayam Sumkin and with the ball and ribbon.[8][9][10] On 22 May, she won a team silver medal with Maayan Sumkin at the European Championships in Budapest.[11] Additionally, she won a silver medal in the hoop final behind Amalia Lică and a bronze medal in the clubs final behind Lică and Alja Ponikvar.[12]
Senior
Tal Franco became age-eligible for senior competitions in 2025. On 18–20 April, she made her FIG World Cup debut in Baku,[13] and finished in 10th place in the all-around.[14] She also qualified for the clubs final and finished eighth.[15] Then at the 2025 European Cup, she won a bronze medal in the ball final behind Stiliana Nikolova and Vera Tugolukova.[16]
Routine music information
| Year | Apparatus | Music title |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Hoop 1 | The Code (Orchestral Version) by Nemo & Sinfonie Orchester Biel Solothurn |
| Hoop 2 | New Day Will Rise by Yuval Raphael | |
| Ball | À nos folies by Léa Paci | |
| Clubs | חביב אלבי by Static & Ben El, Nasrin Kadri | |
| Ribbon | Dancin' Fool by Gary Wilmot & The Copacabana Ensemble | |
| 2024 | Hoop | Burn Butcher Burn from The Witcher Season 2 Soundtrack by Joey Batey |
| Ball | À nos folies by Léa Paci | |
| Clubs | Vengo Anch'io by Paolo Belli | |
| Ribbon | The World Has Gone Insane by Anthony Warlow | |
| 2023 | Hoop | Lord & Master by Apashe |
| Ball | Oogie Boogie's Song by Ken Page, Ed Ivory (from The Nightmare Before Christmas) | |
| Clubs | Etre Un Homme Comme Vous by Ben l'Oncle Soul | |
| Ribbon | The Waltzing Cat by Leroy Anderson | |
| 2022 | Hoop | Io Kant by Banda Osiris |
| Ball | Oogie Boogie's Song by Ken Page, Ed Ivory (from The Nightmare Before Christmas) | |
| Clubs | Etre Un Homme Comme Vous by Ben l'Oncle Soul | |
| Ribbon | The Waltzing Cat by Leroy Anderson |
References
- ^ "להתאמן, להתפלל, לזכות: הסוד של אלופת העולם הטרייה לנוער בהתעמלות אמנותית" [Train, pray, win: The secret of the new world junior champion in artistic gymnastics]. Ynetnews (in Hebrew). 22 July 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
- ^ "Israel crowned junior European team Champions". European Gymnastics. 15 June 2022. Archived from the original on 31 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ Imagine the Impossible (PDF). Tel Aviv 2022 Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships. 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ "Krasnobaeva, Tal Franco add golds for Bulgaria and Israel". International Gymnastics Federation. 9 July 2023. Archived from the original on 31 July 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ Steinke, Matt (9 July 2023). "Keys earns first-ever U.S. medal at Rhythmic Junior World Championships". USA Gymnastics. Archived from the original on 31 July 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics Junior World Championships. Swiss Timing. 2023. Archived from the original on 31 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ אורן, אהרוני (9 July 2023). "עשתה היסטוריה: אלונה טל פרנקו אלופת העולם בהתעמלות אמנותית לנוער". כל הזכויות שמורות לישראל היום (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 31 July 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ "Junior Teams" (PDF). European Gymnastics. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
- ^ "Junior Ball Final" (PDF). European Gymnastics. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
- ^ "Junior Ribbon Final" (PDF). European Gymnastics. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
- ^ "European Gymnastics". European Gymnastics. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ "Romania's Amalia Lica shines with three individual titles at #Budapest2024". European Gymnastics. 23 May 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
- ^ "Rhythmic Olympic champions back in action at Baku World Cup". International Gymnastics Federation. 16 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
- ^ "Seven nations strike gold at the Rhythmic World Cup in Baku". International Gymnastics Federation. 22 April 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
- ^ "Results for FIG World Cup 2025 Baku (AZE)". International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
- ^ "European Cup 2025 Rhythmic Gymnastics Qualification Individual Seniors Ball" (PDF). European Gymnastics. 15 May 2025. Retrieved 19 June 2025.