Israeli Swimming Team Faces Setbacks at European Championships in Paris
The European Swimming Championships concluded in Paris, with the Israeli delegation ending their participation earlier in the day, marking a disappointing performance. For the first time since 2018, the Israeli team failed to secure any medals, managing only a few finals appearances. Anastasia Gorbunko, a three-time consecutive European champion in the 200m individual medley, finished seventh in both the 200m and 400m individual medley finals. Other seventh-place finishes included Aviv Barzilai in the 200m backstroke and the 4x200m freestyle relay team.
The standout performer was Tomer Shuster, who exceeded expectations by finishing fifth in the 50m backstroke and breaking Israeli records in the 50m and 100m backstroke events that had stood for nine and ten years respectively. Shuster, 22, who trained in southern Israel before relocating to Maccabi Rishon LeZion due to evacuations in the south, has shown remarkable progress during his military service as an outstanding athlete. The upcoming World Championships in Budapest next year will be a key test for him against top swimmers from the US and Australia.
Conversely, Gorbunko's results reflected a concerning decline at age 23, following her move from Israel to the University of Louisville in Kentucky. Despite quality preparation including two altitude training camps, the pressures of adapting to a new environment appear to have affected her performance. In a recent interview, she expressed the challenge of defending her European title and acknowledged not approaching her personal best times in the past two years.
Two years ago, the Israeli team had a strong showing with nine podium finishes, including four gold medals largely thanks to Gorbunko and the relay teams. However, that success was partly due to top global swimmers focusing on the Olympics later that summer. Looking ahead, the Israeli team will skip the next European Championships in 2028, as announced by coach Leonid Kaufman, to focus on the 2024 Olympic cycle.
The next major event is the 2027 World Championships in Budapest, where Gorbunko, Shuster, Barzilai, Denis Loktev, and Tom Minis have already met qualification standards and must confirm their results in upcoming Israeli competitions. This championship will be crucial as the first opportunity to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. After the tough experience in Paris, the Israeli swimming team aims to learn from these setbacks and prepare more effectively for future international competitions.
