2019 Israel World Championship Trials – Final Round
- June 28th-29th, 2019
- Wingate Institute, Netanyaha, Isarel
- LCM (50m) pool
- Day 1 morning results
- Day 1 evening results
- Day 2 morning results
- Day 2 evening results
After 2 Israeli swimmers hit qualifying criteria for the World Championships at last weekend’s Sette Colli trophy (Meiron Cheruti and Yaakov Toumarkin), this weekend’s Israeli Trials domestically were the final opportunity for swimmers to qualify for the 2019 World Championships. That meet begins on July 21st in Gwangju, South Korea, and final rosters are due on July 3rd.
In the first evening session of the day, both Jonatan Kopelev and Mihael Leytrovskiy qualified through to Worlds in the 50 backstroke. Leytrovskiy won the race with a 24.84, while the former European Champion Kopelev touched just behind him in 24.88.
Kopelev was swimming the race with a broken finger, making the qualification even more impressive. The two needed to hit 25.17 to qualify for Worlds; last weekend, Kopelev was 25.29, while Leytrovskiy was 25.32.
The 5th member of the team to qualify was Itai Goldfaden, who on Saturday morning swam a 27.37 in the 50 breaststroke. That’s a new lifetime best for him, cutting .08 seconds off the 27.45 that he’s done twice this year. The swim left him .08 seconds shy of the Israeli Record in the event. Goldfaden trains in the US at the University of South Carolina.
Goldfaden also swam a new personal best in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.69) in the morning before swimming his mark in the 50 breaststroke.
Near-Misses of qualifying criteria:
- After setting an Israeli Record last week in Rome in the 100 fly (52.16), 19-year old Tomer Frankel wasn’t able to drop again to hit the qualifying standard. He was just 52.69 in finals. He later missed the qualifying criteria in the 200 free (as did everyone else), leaving him off the team for the World Championships.
- Andi Murez swam a 54.92 in the women’s 100 free final, easily winning, but still .43 seconds from the selection standard. She was a couple of tenths faster last week in Rome. She was also within 4 tenths in the 50 free, where she swam 25.44.
- Marcus Schlesinger swam a 23.88 in the men’s 50 fly to miss the qualifying standard by .22 seconds. He finished 2nd to Meiron Cheruti (23.67) who already had his spot for Worlds booked.
According to an announcement just posted on the Israeli Swimming Association website (in Hebrew), the country has decided to take six additional swimmers for relays: Andi Murez, Tomer Frankel, Gal Groumi, Daniel Namir, Anastasia Gorbenko, and Denis Loktov. This is in complete contradiction to the Israeli Swimming Association rules posted on the website, which clearly states they are only to send a maximum of 3 additional swimmers for relays.
They made the rule and I guess they are allowed to change it. I believe that it is great to give experience to the 4*200 free members even if they won’t make the Tokyo cut this time. 3 of the 4 members are still teenagers(2000,2000,2002) and 2(Frankel and Loktev) have been faster in the past than this past weekend.
I’m not sure why Israel needs a mixed relay, but Gorbenko is a must go. I guess Murez is joining so a 15 year old girl won’t be the only girl on the team. Good for her though, combining med school with swimming 54 mid and 25.1 is not easy at all.
The Israeli committee at the swimming association is allowed to add 3 more people to the roster based on their choice. Gorbenko will probably be added even though she failed to ratify the 2.14.36 in the 200IM as she is young (born in 2003) and already swam 2.11.98 this year. In addition, they might send a 4*200 team as their aggregate time(without flying starts) is 7.15.98 and the 12th place which makes the olympic cut at last worlds was 7.15.95.
They might send Murez as well to create a mixed relay as well.
Only qualified in non Olympic events!
That doesn’t make it any less of an accomplishment