Kutler sets national mark

by HILLEL KUTTLER

ATLANTA (July 25) - Swimmer Dan Kutler broke his own Israeli record by finishing a 100m. butterfly heat in 55.11 at the Olympics yesterday at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center.

In Savannah, Georgia, Gal Friedman of Hadera began the day in third place after two rounds in the windsurfing/boardsailing competition.

However, after the third and fourth rounds, Friedman had slipped back to fifth place. The six-round event has been delayed several times this week due to poor wind conditions.

"That was the goal that we all had and that's what I did," Kutler said of his record. "To be honest, I would have been happier by going under 55 [seconds]. I think I'm capable of doing that but I was a little nervous. This is my first Olympics, and my last. ... Mentally, I'm just ready to move on. But I'm happy I at least got the record."

Kutler predicted the Israeli team would reach tomorrow's finals in the 4x100m. medley relay if it executes its exchanges perfectly.

"My main priority for being here is the relay," he said. "I always swim faster on relays. I get more excited ... and I think if our relay can make the finals, I can die happy. That would be the perfect way for us to finish."

Among other Israeli athletes competing yesterday, Israel's Vadim Alekseyev finished 27th in the 200m. breaststroke with a 2:20.47, 6.58 off the pace of Hungary's Karoly Guttler.

Also in Savannah, the six-day yachting events began yesterday, with Nir and Ron Chantal in men's 470 and Anat Fabrikant and Shani Kedmi in the women's 470. The Chantals ended the day in 17th place overall, while Fabrikant and Kedmi were holding their own in eighth place.

Kutler finished 31st overall, 2.22 behind Australia's Scott Miller, who set an Olympic record with 52.89. The finals in both swimming events were to be held last night.

Kutler set the previous Israeli record last year at 55.16. Yesterday marked the second Israeli record set here at the Olympics, following Eytan Orbach's 56.74 Tuesday in the 100m. backstroke.

Kutler said he swam a good race for the first 90 meters before faltering, which he attributed to a case of nerves in his first Olympic race. But he said he would work to correct his mistakes before the team's relay heat tomorrow.

"It was good for me to get one race out of the way so that I [could] get used to Olympic competition and get over the first-time Olympic jitters and the nervousness that most athletes feel at the Olympics, especially me since this is my first Olympics, and now I'm ready to go to the relay."

Alekseyev, who reached the 200m. finals at the Seoul Olympics when he competed for the Soviet Union, attributed his performance yesterday to a recurring back injury that cost him almost six months of training.

Competitions involving Israelis today are: Yoav Bruch in 50m. freestyle swimming; women's team fencing; yachting and Boris Polak and Guy Starick in both the small-bore rifle three-position and prone-position shooting events.