Gorbenko Hits FINA ‘A’ Cut With 54.38 In 100 Free At Israeli Olympic Qualifier

2020 ISRAELI OLYMPIC QUALIFIER

• Wednesday, December 16th – Friday, December 18th
• Wingate Institute
• LCM (50m)
• Live Results

Anastasia Gorbenko swam under the FINA “A” cut and should be in line for an Olympic berth with a 54.38 in the 100 free.

One day after the 17-year-old broke two Israeli age records (50 free and 200 free), the rising youngster booked a likely Olympic trip, rattling the overall Israeli national record of 54.20 set by Andi Murez back in 2017. Gorbenko’s 54.38 hits the FINA “A” cut exactly, right down to the hundredth of a second.

Israel is hosting a series of four Olympic selection meets. This week’s is the second, following the Rotterdam event two weeks ago. The selection process will continue through two more late selection meets next June.

A pair of IMers came excruciatingly close to joining Gorbenko as likely Olympic entrants. 18-year-old Lea Polonsky won the women’s 200 IM in 2:12.65. That’s a drop of six-tenths of a second from her best time, and comes within a tenth of the FINA A cut, a 2:12.56. Polonsky is just six tenths away from the national record, held by Gorbenko at 2:11.92.

Meanwhile 19-year-old Ron Polonsky went 1:59.78 to win the men’s 200 IM. That’s about three tenths of a second off of his best time and just a tenth off the A cut of 1:59.67.

In the men’s 100 free, Meiron Cheruti went 49.12, only about two tenths of a second off a national record. Cheruti’s career-best is a 49.00 from the summer of 2019.

Bar Soloveychik dropped almost two seconds to win the 400 free. His 3:52.05 isn’t far off the national record of 3:51.45.

And in the 200 back, Aviv Barzelay was only a half-second off her own national record, going 2:12.42 for the win. Barzelay is just 18, one of a number of young swimmers standing out for Israel this week.