2024 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
- June 17-23, 2024
- LCM (50 meters)
- Belgrade, Serbia
- Prelims: 9:30 am local time
- Finals: 6:30 pm local time
- Psych Sheets
- Men’s Storylines
- Women’s Storylines
- Live Results
- Day 1 Prelims Live Recap
The Israeli women’s 4×200 freestyle relay team obliterated its national record by more than seven seconds with a winning time of 7:51.83 at the 2024 European Championships, capturing the country’s first-ever relay medal of any color at the meet.
Rising star Anastasia Gorbenko led off with a personal-best 1:56.74, taking down the Israeli 200 free record of 1:57.87 that Andrea Murez posted in 2021. Gorbenko dropped more than a second off her previous-best 1:58.18 from the 2023 World Championships.
Daria Golovaty (1:57.94) and Ayla Spitz (1:59.07) handled the middle legs of the relay, giving Israel a three-second advantage heading into the final leg. Lea Polonsky clocked a 1:58.08 split to secure the victory, holding off a ferocious 1:55.87 anchor by 18-year-old Hungarian Nikolett Padar. Padar had already qualified 2nd for the 100 free final (54.17) earlier in the session.
Israel’s final time of 7:51.83 demolished its old national record of 7:59.02 from the 2023 World Championships, which qualified the country for the Paris Olympics next month. Spitz was the new addition to the lineup this year, replacing Murez after wrapping up her NCAA career at Northwestern in March.
Hungary earned the runner-up finish in 7:52.92 while Turkey took bronze in 8:01.58, less than a tenth ahead of Germany (8:01.67).
WOMEN’S 4×200 FREESTYLE RELAY – FINAL
- World Record: 7:37.50 – Australia (2023)
- European Record: 7:45.51 – Great Britain (2009)
- Championship Record: 7:50.53 – Italy (2014)
Top 8:
- Israel – 7:51.83
- Hungary – 7:52.92
- Turkey – 8:01.58
- Germany – 8:01.67
- Slovenia – 8:06.93
- Austria – 8:12.13
- Slovakia – 8:20.03
- Armenia – 8:53.63
These are some solid times from Israel. Have they always been decent at swimming?
been on the rise as of late due to the additions of coaches such as Tom Rushton and David Marsh in advisory positions or just as flat out coaches. in addition, many top Israeli swimmers come to train in the states in the college system. Think swimmers like Tomer Frankel, Gal Cohen Groumi, and Ron Polonsky for the men. Of this quartet, Golovaty is committed to louisville, Spitz did time in northwestern and Cal, Polonsky is at Cal, and Gorbenko as spent time training in the states.
don’t yell at me please but isn’t israel not in europe?
it’s one of those countries that’s not geographically in Europe that hate associating with Asia or Africa kinda like Georgia
It is not technically. The long story short is that they kept getting kicked out of Asian events, or having athletes refuse to compete against them, so the easiest solution was to just put them in Europe. This happened back in the 70s. The Asian Football Confederation kicked them out in 1974.
Due to political or racial reasons?
When it comes to Israel I’m not sure there’s really a clear separation between the two.
Anti-Semitism – bottom line
For entirely different reasons Australia compete as part of the Asian Football Confederation and were Asian champions in 2015.
Israel is in Asia, but from the 1970’s the anti-israeli Arab countries have put political pressure to remove Israel from all sports in their region.
Updating my potential finalists for women 4×200
Australia, USA, China, GBR, Canada, Brazil, Israel, Hungary. NZ and NED outside chance
and mens 4 x 200m
USA GB SK CHN AUST ITALY GER and ?????
France or Brazil, leaning towards France