Dave Marsh: "You can see the change in the swimming industry but we are still in the process" | Israel today

Following the failure of Israel's swimming team at the Rio 2016 Olympics, a year later, he was appointed as the top consultant, coach Dave Marsh, to save the industry and build long-term plans.

Many raised an eyebrow at the appointment, probably after hearing about the $ 1 million contract on a four-year contract (some of which came from a donation), but the Israeli union with then-swimming chairman and current MK Simon Davidson were not thrilled, probably after the impressive resume the American brought with him .

Marsh, 64, initially served on the Lines as head coach of the University of Auvergne, with which he has won seven college championships with the men's team and six times with the women, coached hundreds of Olympic swimmers from 19 different countries (including Israelis Yoav Brock and Eitan Orbach). ), At the Rio Olympics his swimmers won 8 medals (6 of them gold) including names like Ryan Lochte and Anthony Irwin.

In his first campaign in the blue-and-white uniform, no less than 12 swimmers made it to the Tokyo Olympics last year, which advanced to the three semifinals and Anastasia Gurbanko's historic 100m backstroke where she finished eighth, the same place they finished in the 4x100 mixed relay team final. Mixed meter.

These days, Marsh is in Israel, ahead of the new and short campaign for Paris 2024, and already his first mission, will be next month's world championships in Budapest, Hungary, where the team will arrive after a training camp to be held in Spain.

Just before they boarded the flight and after a special training session for the team at Poleg Beach in Netanya, Marsh took a special interview with "Israel Today" for the upcoming period.

Gorbanko.

The great hope of the Israeli swimming team, Photo: Oren Aharoni

"We have a lot of work to do," Marsh said.

"I organized this training to form the team, in dreamy weather and a great atmosphere. I do not know why not the whole world comes here and enjoys this sea, it is clean, the sea is calm, there are many fish and no sharks. We have a lot of sharks in San Diego."

"We wanted to do something a little different, we joined the open water team. When you are a swimmer you are a swimmer, no matter where you train. This time we wanted to get to their site, it was a lot of fun, when you see how they navigate water and their technique. From what's happening in the pool. "

But it has nothing to do with it I guess you were taken out of the water in the pool at Wingate because of the appointments, as she posted on your Instagram

"No one will take us out of the sea. I had a lot of time in the corona to swim in the sea because of the corona, the pools were closed, but it's a serious challenge for any competitive swimmer, sometimes there are big waves, but this time the conditions are almost the same, just maybe the difference With them and when I coach I am by the pool. "

Israel's swimming team, this week in Netanya, Photo: Oren Aharoni

We're close to the world championship, what do we look like there?

"The World Championship always brings together the best swimmers, when before that we will be in Barcelona and see the same swimmers and it will give us scales of what will be at the World Championships, but we must remember that this year is also close to the European Championships and we had to make adjustments and learn a lot. "We are used to it. We have 6 weeks after Budapest for the European Championships in Rome, it is not bad. We will not return to the base of swimming training, only improvements according to the performance from the World Championships."

After the long campaign for Tokyo, do you already see the change in Israeli swimming?

"You can see the change, but we are still in the process. It takes time, but the swimmers already understand the way and what the requirements are from them and from time to time see the progress graph not only in these adult swimmers but also in the younger generation."

Tomarkin and friends, this week at the beach in Netanya, Photo: Oren Aharoni

We're just 800 days before the Paris Olympics, have you already marked the goals there?

Our goal is to swim well, show the improvements they have made in training and bring that to the fore in racing.

Once the key is to know how to combine everything and perform it at this level and I guess we will see nice results.

We are now two years ahead and it is a great time to examine all aspects and abilities of every swimmer. "

What do you think about the decision not to let Russian and Belarusian swimmers compete because of the invasion of Ukraine?

As a person who watches all this situation and the United States, so far away from Ukraine and what they are going through, I am so sad about it.

I know that here in Israel they may be more able to identify with them more - of course there are many immigrants from Russia and Ukraine.

"On a personal level, the World Swimming Federation (FINA) is doing the right thing, and until then this conflict will not end, it makes sense that Russian and Belarusian swimmers would not take part in the competitions."

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