Anastasia Gorbenko Named Captain of Louisville Swim Team

Anastasia Gorbenko, Israel's top Olympic swimmer from Maccabi Kiryat Bialik, will begin her second season with the University of Louisville swim team in Kentucky next week. This year, Gorbenko will serve as captain of the 23-member Louisville squad, a step up from her previous season.

A new collegiate swimming league, the College Swimming League (CSL), is launching in the United States this year. The CSL, funded by a private entity, aims to increase spectator interest with a show-like format and will feature 12 top U.S. college teams. Gorbenko will compete in two preliminary rounds, with the top teams advancing to the semifinals and finals. The CSL season is scheduled to conclude on November 7th, with a maximum of eight competitions.

This participation in the CSL is in addition to Gorbenko's role on the Louisville team, which ranked 8th in the NCAA last season. Gorbenko expressed excitement for the upcoming busy and challenging period, stating, "Competitions do me good. I learn from every start, and in previous years, during seasons when I competed a lot, I succeeded in target competitions." She also acknowledged the challenge of balancing her demanding academic schedule with her swimming commitments.

Gorbenko is slated to compete in the World Short Course Championships in Beijing in December. She previously won gold medals in the 50m breaststroke and 100m individual medley at the 2021 Abu Dhabi championships in this event, but had not participated since as it was not part of her professional plan. Following the China competition, she is scheduled to return to Israel for the Israeli Winter Championships. During her academic break, she will also join the Louisville team for a training camp in Florida.