Late call-up causes Israeli Olympic swimmer Gorbenko to miss 200m medley final

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Israeli Olympic swimmer Anastasia Gorbenko (20) already ranks as one of the country’s best swimmers but unfortunately missed a rare last-minute opportunity to compete in the top 8 finals because of a decision that was out of her control.

Gorbenko narrowly missed the 200m individual final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after finishing in the 9th place in the qualifiers. Then, on Sunday, Australian swimmer Ella Ramsey, who was scheduled to compete in the top 8 final, withdrew from the competition due to illness.

The Israeli Olympic delegation received a late-call that Gorbenko could replace Ramsey in the final, just 25 minutes before the start time.

Meanwhile, Gorbenko was from the Olympic pool and on her way to a dinner hosted by Olympics Committee. When the late call came, the Israeli delegation chose not to consult Gorbenko but instead announced she would not participate in the final due to the short notice.

Gorbenko and her team were reportedly frustrated by their exclusion from the decision-making process regarding her participation. In the end, only seven swimmers competed in the final, as the second reserve swimmer also did not arrive in time. "We will learn lessons from this event," the association said in a statement.

There were high expectations for Gorbenko ahead of the Paris Olympics.

In June, merely two months ahead of the Paris Olympics, Gorbenko won three gold medals at the LEN European Aquatics Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

“I am pleased that I managed to win, and I think I still have room for improvement in the coming month. I look forward to getting back to hard work. Currently, I am training between the races, and swimming a lot, and I hope it pays off in the next month. I want to thank everyone who supported and cheered from Israel,” she stated at the time.

In December 2021, the then only 18-year-old Gorbenko won the Israel's first World Championship gold medal at a competition in Abu Dhabi. Her victory came just one year after the UAE signed the historic Arab-Israeli Abraham Accords peace agreement with Israel in 2020.

Despite the drama causing Gorbenko to narrowly miss the final, the Paris Olympics has already been the most successful Olympic Games in Israel's sports history.

The Israeli team made history on Saturday when the country won 1 gold medal and 2 silver medals in one single day. Israeli windsurfer Tom Reuveny, who was not even expected to reach the final, won the gold medal in the men’s iOFoil windsurfing final in Marseille, France.

Israeli female windsurfer Sharon Kantor secured a silver medal in the women’s sailing final. In addition, Israeli gymnast Artem Dolgopyat won a silver medal in the floor exercise final.

Israeli judoka Raz Hershko (26) secured a second silver medal after qualifying for the women’s over-78kg weight class over the weekend.

Last Thursday, Peter Paltchik won Israel’s first medal (bronze) in the men’s under-100kg judo category.

At the moment, the Israeli Olympic delegation has earned six medals during the Paris Games: one gold, four silver and one bronze.