Outside the lines, 18.2/Editor: Ziv Steiner
A whole country was excited tonight (Sunday) with Anastasia Gorbenko, who became the first Israeli ever to win a medal at the World Swimming Championships, and she did it in front of a hostile crowd in Qatar.
The 20-year-old swimmer was also close to becoming the world champion in the 400m individual medley, but ended up as runner-up and stepped onto the podium to receive the silver medal.
This happened after unpleasant moments during the traditional interview with the medalists, in which part of the Qatari audience heard the Israeli's words and reacted with jarring contempt.
In a conversation with the Israeli media, Gorbenko addressed this and clarified: "I didn't hear or listen to anything. I was a little shocked by the result. I didn't hear anything but noise. The interviewer loves me and us. He told me, 'Don't pay attention to them.' I had a little tears in my eyes, but because of the excitement Only later did I hear about the cheers. The contestants also cheered me up and cheered me on. There were many nice people in Doha. I didn't walk around with Israeli flags and I don't look that Israeli either. I felt very safe. Yes, there were looks when they knew I was Israeli, but I ignored them. I dedicate The medal for giving Angrest Makrit Bialik (21-year-old sergeant who was kidnapped on October 7 - 19) who studied with me in class and is now kidnapped in Gaza."
Continues to excite even outside the pool.
Anastasia Gorbenko/GettyImages
On missing the gold:
"Obviously I wanted gold and I would have been happy to do it on the head of anyone who didn't want us here."
On the achievement:
"We have a high-quality team. It's not just me. It's obviously very exciting. I train with a very good medalist swimmer and I also expect such achievements from myself all the time."
On the final:
"I knew I was head to head with the British woman. At the end I only saw black eyes from pain. It took me fifteen minutes at the end to come back to myself and understand what happened. It was interesting and a great salve for the people at home. I want more options in Paris and I plan to swim it too in the Olympic Games".
On the difficulty of swimming so much:
"I'm trained for it. I train a lot. 10 times a week. It's part of the sport."
More in Walla!
Israeli history: Gorbenko won a silver medal at the World Swimming Championships
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"Dare to dream".
Annasta Gorbenko/GettyImages
On the country:
"I hope I opened many doors. I broke a glass ceiling. Even a small country like Israel can do it. I hope for more achievements like this in world championships."
On the continuation of her career:
"Only three women receive medals in each event. It's a good sign that I won. It's another experience. I proved to myself that I'm capable. Now I think I'll compete in the United States in April and later in the European Championships."
On the fourth place in the 200 individual medley:
"I was a little disappointed, but I felt that I was able to pick myself up from the bios. The 200 backstroke gave me the confidence that I can take a medal here in this event. It's fun to finish like this"
and finally, a message to the young swimmers
: Dare to dream. Believe in yourself. I dreamed at the age of 12 about the Olympic Games."
More on the same topic:
Anastasia Gorbenko
World Swimming Championships