Israeli Olympians off to dissappointing start
By Viva Sarah Press
(September 17) - It was a day of disappointments for the Israeli team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics yesterday, with the only bright spot coming from the pool.
The men's 4x100m. freestyle relay team set a national record as Alexei Manziula, Eitan Orbach, Oren Azrad, and Yoav Bruck finished in a time of 3:22.06, breaking the previous mark of 3:23.10.
Manziula opened the race with a time of 51.14, Orbach swam to 1:40.82, Azrad made it 2:31.50, and Bruck cemented the new record at 3:22.06.
While the new mark is a noteworthy achievement, the relay team finished 14 out of 21, and did not make it past the heats. Australia ended up winning the 4x100m race with a time of 3:13.67.
"We're not in the same class as the top teams," Bruck told Channel 1 after the race. "We wanted a record and we got it... we're not disappointed."
"We set a national record," chimed in Azrad. "And that's big time."
Orbach, whose time of 55.62 seconds is currently the national record for the 100m. backstroke, will aim to set another mark today in that event. Micky Halika will also swim for the men's team in the 400m. individual medley. His personal best is 4:17.49.
The first day of competitions started on a sour note when shooter Alex Danilov, one of the delegation's solid hopes for a medal, was disqualified in the men's 10m. air pistol qualifications. Danilov finished in last place among the 43 competitors.
Having won the gold medal at the European Championships in Germany in 1999, Danilov scored a disappointing 574 points, putting him in 23rd place in the qualifying standings.
Then, during a pistol check, officials found that the trigger was under the official 500 gram weight.
An Israeli investigation revealed that on Friday Danilov's pistol had been inspected and was found to be underweight. The pistol was then fixed and Danilov used it for a practice.
Yesterday morning he used the same pistol, but for what is being termed a technical problem, it again weighed in under the minimum.
"There can be no other reason than a technical one," Danilov's coach Marcel Cohen told reporters.
Danilov's performance was not up to scratch in any case, and even if his pistol had been sound, he wouldn't have made the finals. "I wasn't concentrating," he told Channel 1. "My poor performance was my fault."
The disqualification meant Danilov ended with a score of zero. But he has not been disqualified from the Games entirely, and will next compete on Tuesday in the 50m. pistol event.
France's Franck Dumoulin went on to win the 10m. air pistol event with a score of 688.9, an Olympic record.
Swimmer Adi Bichman was the second to compete for the Israeli squad yesterday. Bichman posted her worst-ever result in the 400m. individual medley, finishing 26 out of 28 with a time of 5:06.72. Her personal best is 4:53.67.
For much of the race, Bichman lagging considerably behind the other competitors.
Ukrainian Yana Klochkova won the race in 4:37.64, setting a world record.
"I'm just thinking about the 800m. freestyle race [which takes place on Thursday]," Bichman told the Achla Web site after the race. "From the beginning I felt this isn't it. I wasn't mentally or physically ready for this race from the outset, because it's not my specialty. My main goal is the 800m. race and I have four more days until I have to be ready."
"I'm not tired," Bichman told Channel 1. "The purpose of this race was to see what the Olympics are about."
Bichman placed fifth at the European Swimming Championships in July and gave Israel a record time of 8:47.59. She is competing in the 400m. freestyle event today.
Sixteen-year old Vered Boro chovsky fared a little better when she entered the pool a few minutes later. She propelled herself to a 1:00.34 finish in the women's 100m. butterfly heats, but could place no better than 19 out of 46.
Her personal coach Vladimir Soifer was not impressed with what he said should have been a better performance.
"Already from her leap into the pool, I could tell this wasn't going to be her race," Soifer told Achla. "She can do a lot better."
There was a glimmer of hope in the men's 100m. breastroke when Tal Stricker finished first in his heat. Yet, his time of 1:03.99 was not good enough to make it to the next level. He finished 32 out of 66 competitors.
Stricker will next compete in the 200m breastroke. "It's going to be very difficult," he told Channel 1. "I know the other swimmers in the 200m race... there's nothing easy here."
And while the Israelis didn't feature well in the official events, the team was making peace with rivals on the sidelines.
At the Opening Ceremony, the delegation members chatted with athletes from Arab countries, among them Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Algeria.
"Sports symbolizes peace, and we want that," the Algerian sportsmen told the Israelis. The two teams exchanged pins and carried on amiable conversations which lasted a long time.
The Israeli athletes who competed yesterday did not attend the Opening Ceremony and instead enjoyed a Shabbat dinner organized for them in the Olympic Village.
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