Kendyl Stewart Swims Lifetime Best in 100 Fly on Israel Cup Day 2

ISRAEL SWIMMING CUP

• April 3rd-6th, 2019
• Wingate Institute, Netanya, Israel
• LCM (50m)
• Qualifying meet for 2019 World Championships
• Selection Criteria (in Hebrew)
• Meet Site (Results, Schedules, Entries)
• Meet Preview/Selection explanation

While the Israeli swimmers came up short again of the World Championship qualifying standards on Thursday at the 2019 Israel Cup, the highlight of the day was from a non-Israeli: American Kendyl Stewart. She swam a 57.51 in finals of the 100 fly, which is the 3rd-ranked time in the world this season and a lifetime best for her.

Her previous best time was a 57.70 done at last summer’s US National Championships, which in turn was her first best time in 4 years (since a 57.82 in 2014).

Among the big swims from the domestic athletes was a 2:13.03 in the 200 backstroke from Aviv Barzelay, which won the race by over 3 seconds (Kathleen Baker was again absent from the event, just like in the 200 IM on Wednesday). That’s not only the National Age Record for both 17 and 18-year olds, broken by half-a-second, but is also the new overall National Record. It undercuts the old record of 2:13.10 set in 2016 by Keren Siebner.

The time was still short of the numbers set by the Israeli federation to earn an expenses-paid trip to the Sette Colli meet in June with an eye on a FINA “A” qualifying time, though.

Hers was one of 2 national age record breaking swims on the 2nd day of competition in Netanya. The other came from another teenage phenom: 15-year old Anastasia Gorbenko. Already the holder of 3 senior National Records, she added another age group record to her tally on Thursday. She swam a 26.01 in prelims, which is faster than any 17 & under in her country’s history has been in long course. Her previous best time was a 26.59, and she scratched the final.

In her absence, the winner of that final was Zonar Shikler won in 26.24.

Other Day 2 Highlights:

• Meiron Cheruti won the men’s 50 free in 22.67. His best time, from 2017, is 22.22.
• In a meet dominated by youth, 27-year old Jakov Toumarkin picked up his 2nd victory. This time, it came in the 200 back, which he won in 1:59.85. Even as one of the country’s top swimmers and biggest hopes for Worlds, he was still short of the “FINA A + 1%” time needed to earn passage to the Sette Colli trophy.
• German-born and American-trained swimmer Marius Kusch won the men’s 100 fly in 51.77. That’s just a quarter-of-a-second away from his lifeteime best in the event, which was done in March at the Golden Tour meet in Marseilles. After a massive NCAA season, where he had some of the fastest times in the country in spite of racing out of Division II, he’s now already carrying his success over to long course.
• Yonatan Rosin won the men’s 800 free in 8:08.79, which undercuts his previous personal best by 2 seconds.
• Gali Zilberberg won her 2nd race of the meet, taking the women’s 1500 free in 16:46.49. That was about 2 seconds short of her lifetime best. She also won the 400 free in 4:18.97 on Wednesday, which was a new National Age Record for 18-year olds.