When it comes time for Erik Solky to write his “What I Did This Summer…” essay, the NIU standout gymnast can author a “golden” one.

As in the Gold Medal he won representing the United States in the 13th Annual World Maccabiah Games held July 3-13 in Israel. Solky won the gold on the horizontal bar despite “landing on my butt. The routine was really great except for my dismount.

“A week before I left, I injured my ankle and everything was going fine until the dismount. I came down on the ankle and took a seat,” Solky said. However, the 9.25 tally was good enough to capture the top spot. The injury was also a hindrance on the parallel bars where the Huskie 1988-89 MVP finished fifth out of six finalists with an 8.95 after scoring 9.55 in the qualification round.

“It was a great experience. Right now, it’s vacation time. I’m still working hard on strength and flexibility, especially to get my ankle back in shape, but I’ll hold off on the gymnastics until I get back (to NIU),” Solky said. “My main goal is to shoot for All-America honors and the key is to stay healthy.”

Indeed, the NIU senior has been plagued by injuries throughout his career, although he managed to make the most of a berth in the 1989 NCAA Championship. The last at-large qualifier on the horizontal bar, Solky became one of 11 finalists and was just .05 away from tying for sixth place and earning All-America status.

The World Maccabiah Games, which are held every four years, pit Jewish athletes from all over the world in competition similar to that of the Olympics. More than 4,000 athletes from 38 countries, including 500 from the United States, participated in 30 events.