Israeli gymnast with a shot at a medal?

Soon you're going to tell me that Jews can dance and have straight hair.

But no, it's true. In a recent update on International Gymnast's website, there's a small piece about Alexander Shatilov, formerly of Kazakhstan (just like Borat!) but has lived in Israel and competed at the last few world championships and Olympics for his adopted country. He earned berths to floor exercise finals in 06, 07, and 08 and hopes to final medal in 2009 at the worlds in London, especially encouraged after medaling at the recent European Championships.

Who wears short shorts? Here's Shatilov competing in Milan. Despite the nerdy socks and spandex, he is still a better ambassador for Israel to the rest of the world than Avigdor Lieberman.

(A side note: Though both Jews and gymnasts tend to be short, Shatilov seems to have beat the odds on both counts. On the medal podium, he towered over the gold and silver medalists. And while commentating on his 2006 event final floor routine, Bart Conner and Blaine Wilson joked that Shatilov is a giant. "He might even be 5'9"!" Conner laughed.)