Israeli Swimmer Tomer Shuster Sets National Record, Advances to 50m Backstroke Final at European Championships

Tomer Shuster of Maccabi Rishon LeZion secured a spot in the men's 50-meter backstroke final at the European Swimming Championships with a remarkable time of 24.36 seconds, setting a new Israeli national record. Earlier in the morning heats, Shuster had already broken his personal best with 24.62 seconds, meeting the qualification standard for the 2027 World Championships. His evening performance surpassed the previous Israeli record held by Yonatan Kopelev since 2016, placing Shuster among the top eight fastest swimmers in Europe for this event. This achievement marks Shuster's first-ever final appearance at the European Championships, scheduled for tomorrow.

Three other Israeli swimmers competed in the 50m backstroke: Michael Leitrovsky (Yerushalayim Rabati) finished 27th with 25.14 seconds, Inbar Danziger (Hapoel Jerusalem) ranked 35th at 25.36 seconds, and Okan Goldin (Maccabi Nahariya) placed 51st with 25.62 seconds.

In the men's 200m freestyle heats, Denis Loktev finished 18th with 1:47.21 and serves as the first reserve for the semifinals. Eitan Ben Shitrit (Yerushalayim Rabati) set a personal best of 1:47.59 for 26th place, while Alexey Glivinski and Yoav Romano placed 31st and 34th respectively. The Israeli 4x100m freestyle relay team, consisting of Glivinski, Loktev, Daniel Kritchevski, and Martin Kartavi, finished 10th in the heats with a time of 3:15.45, making them the second reserve for the final.