Courtesy: Hagai Ashlagi
Thousands of fans attended, and 96 swimmers took part in the inaugural Sea-Sprint TLV competition, held last weekend in the Tel Aviv harbor by the Israeli Swimming Association, the Tel Aviv Municipality and the Tel Aviv harbor.
The race was a straight-up freestyle sprint held in four knockout rounds. The 48 fastest men and 48 fastest women started the first round: eight knockout heats of six swimmers in six lanes, with the first three in each heat advancing and the latter three knocked out. The swimmers had 22-30 minutes of rest between the first and second rounds, depending on their heat. The quarter finals were four knockout heats of six swimmers, again with the first three in each quarter-final advancing to the semi-finals. After 15-18 minutes of rest, the semi-finals featured the twelve swimmers that advanced from the quarter finals. Eight to ten minutes later, the final six that advanced to the final, fought it out for the medals, prize money, and champagne.
The irregular race distance (56.5 meters, due to the harbor’s width) along with the knockout format, heightened excitement measurably, rendered swim times irrelevant, and opened the competition up for 100-200 meter specialists, as well as the pure sprinters. The event was straight-up head-to-head racing, with one goal – to touch the wall in the top three in each heat, advance through the rounds, and race the final.
The main challenges to the swimmers were limited visibility and lack of underwater lane lines in the water, the irregular distance, and the knockout format itself. Sea water quality was tested and approved in the week before the race, ensuring conditions were completely safe for swimming.
The women’s final was won by Daria Golovaty, with Shain Goland finishing 2nd and Aviv Barzelay 3rd. Golovaty cleared every round of the competition undefeated, en route to the title.
Alexey Glivinskiy won the men’s final in a nail-biter photo-finish, with Meiron Cheruti close behind and Daniel Krichevsky placing 3rd.
Prize money for the top three men and women was sponsored by the Blavatnik Family Foundation and “Intima,” the women’s lingerie, underwear and beachwear brand.
Prize Money:
- 1st – 5000 NIS = 1,670 US$
- 2nd – 3000 NIS = 1,000 US$
- 3rd – 2500 NIS = 835 US$
The chairman of the Israel Swimming Association, Hagai Ashlagi, said: “What we saw this weekend in the Tel Aviv harbor was just the beginning. Our vision is clear- the Tel Aviv Sea-Sprint will become an international event, attracting some of the world’s fastest swimmers to race in the heart of Tel Aviv, with substantial prize money worthy of world-class competition. The ISA, the city of Tel Aviv and the Tel Aviv Harbor will continue working together, with sponsors, to make this vision a reality.”
