2022 ISRAELI SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- December 19th – December 23rd
- Wingate Institute, Netanya, Israel
- SCM (25m)
- Results
The 2022 Israeli Short Course Championships concluded tonight from Netanya, but not before more records fell at the Wingate Institute.
Competing in the men’s 800m free, Matan Roditi fired off a new lifetime best of 7:49.29 to top the podium. The 24-year-old Olympian’s result established a new national record, crushing the previous Israeli standard of 7:56.61 Guy Moskovich put on the books in 2015.
Entering this meet, Roditi’s career-quickest in this 8free rested at the 8:01.55 he logged at the 2021 Short Course World Championships. So Roditi not only got under the 8:00 for the first time in his career, but he went even further to get under the 7:50 threshold en route to his new record.
Hitting a championship record in the women’s 50m back was Mercy Ann Najera. The 17-year-old produced a winning mark of 27.88 to get to the wall first.
In addition to establishing a new meet record, Najera’s 27.88 PB also overtook the previous Israeli Record for 17-year-olds, a time of 27.96 which Olympian Anastasia Gorbenko previously held at 27.96.
Gorbenko was also in the water to wrap up the meet, posting a mark of 57.57 in the 100m back. That result fell just .12 off of her own Israeli national record of 57.49, a mark she clocked during the 2021 International Swimming League (ISL) season.
Additional Notes
- Gregg Lichinsky got it done for gold in the men’s 100m free, producing a winning effort of 47.60. He now becomes Israel’s 2nd fastest performer in the event, sitting only behind Meiron Cheruti and his national record of 47.08 from 2019.
- Olympian Michael Laitarovsky, who swims for the University of South Carolina, put up a time of 23.66 to snag the gold in the men’s 50m back. That checks in as a personal best by .03.
- Yakov Toumarkin was the winner of the men’s 100m back, producing a time of 51.31.
- The men’s 200m free saw Denis Loktev top the podium in a mark of 1:44.97, within a second of his lifetime best.
47.60 for Lichinsky (NCAA D2 for McKendree) is just barely faster than Lamar Taylor (Henderson State’s) 47.76 at Worlds… between them, Cameron Craig, Jack Armstrong, the Indy gang, and a few others, those sprint free events are going to be a barn burner in March.
Gregg Lichinsky a proud McKendree Bearcat!