Another Israeli Record-Breaker, Another Political Sore Loser
Israeli swimmer Anna Gostomelsky broke an Israeli record today when she came in first place in the eighth heat of the 50-meter freestyle preliminaries in 25.23 seconds. While Gostomelsky failed to qualify for the semifinals, falling 16 milliseconds short of the 16th spot in the contest, she was thrilled with her results. “I’m very pleased, not only with myself but with the whole team,” she said. “We were the most brilliant team here.”
At 27, Gostomelsky is the oldest swimmer on the Israeli team, returning to compete in the Olympics after a lackluster showing in the 2004 Athens games.
But politics again threatens to eclipse Israeli athleticism, and Gostomelsky’s achievement, in this Olympics, as Syria’s Bayan Jumah, who was supposed to swim in the lane next to Gostomelsky, chose not to compete.
Gostomelsky wasn’t fazed by the pullout though. “I didn’t notice that the lane beside me was empty,” she said. “It’s her problem.”
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
