Spotlight
Swimmers Lead
Jewish athletes are strong on U.S. Olympic team.
Garrett Weber-Gae
is one of four Jewish
swimmers on the
American squad.
Marc Brodsky
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
New York
F
or Jason Lezak, Ben Wildman-
Tobriner and Garrett Weber-Gale,
the marketing possibilities are
endless — perhaps "The Three Chaverim"
or "Jews in the Pool?'
All three Jewish sprinters are hoping
to make a splash as part of the U.S. men's
swimming team in Beijing for the 2008
Summer Olympics.
Not only will they be competing as indi-
viduals, but they are expected to make up
three-fourths of the 4x100-meter freestyle
relay team.
"We joke about
going to the
Maccabiah Games
and setting a world
record:' Lezak says,
referring to what is
known as "the Jewish
Olympics."
Dara Torres
Toss in 41-year-old
Dara Torres, another
Jewish swimmer and sprinter who will
be competing in her fifth Games, and the
possibilities rise even higher.
The swimmers are among the seven
Jewish athletes believed to comprise the
American Jewish contingent headed to
China. They are a mix of veterans and
newcomers, all with a realistic chance of
acquiring medals at the Games, which
begin with the opening ceremony Aug. 8.
Already, Wildman-Tobriner and Weber-
Gale have their nickname: the "hyphen-
ated Jew crew." That makes for some good-
natured fun around the pool, Wildman-
Tobriner says, adding that he is proud to
represent his heritage — along with the
United States — in China.
Another Jewish athlete eyeing water-
related success for the Americans is
kayaker Rami Zur, who is in his second
Olympics for the United States after repre-
01001001*.
Jews In The Olympics
Jewish Telegraphic Agency Staff
New York
The following is a list of Jewish ath-
letes competing in the 2008 Summer
Olympics in Beijing:
United States
Fencing, Women – Sara Jacobson, sabre
Kayaking – Rami Zur, 500-meter indi-
vidual
Swimming, Men – Jason Lezak,100-
meter freestyle, relays; Garrett Weber-
Gale,100 freestyle, relays; Ben Wildman-
Tobriner, 50 freestyle, relays
Swimming, Women – Dara Torres, 50-
meter freestyle, relays
Track and Field, Women – Deena Kastor,
marathon
C18
August 7 • 2008
3N
Israel
Artistic Gymnastics, Men – Alex
Shatilov, all-around
Canoeing, Men – Michael Koganov, K-1
500 and 1000 meters
Fencing, Men – Tomer Or, foil
Fencing, Women – Dalilah Hatuel, foil;
Noam Mills, epee
Judo, Men – Ariel Ze'evi,100 kg; Gal
Yekutiel, 60 kg
Judo, Women – Alice Schlezinger, 63 kg
Rhythmic Gymnastics, Individual – Ira
Risenzon; Neta Rivkin
Rhythmic Gymnastics, Team – Kayta
Pizatzki, Racheli ldgorcheck, Maria
Savnakov, Alona Dvorinchenko, Veronica
Witberg
Sailing, Men – Gidi Klinger and Udi Gal,
470; Shahar Tzuberi, windsurfing
Sailing, Women – Vered Buskila and
Nika Kornitzky, 470; Nufar Eledman,
laser radial; Ma'ayan Davidovich, wind-
surfing
senting Israel in the 2000 Games.
Some Jewish landlubbers also will wear
the red, white and blue in Beijing: fencer
Sara Jacobson and marathoner Deena
Kastor. Both won bronze medals in '04 in
Athens.
Lezak is competing in his third
Olympics and has garnered four medals
on relay teams, including a gold in the
4x100 medley in '04. At 32, he is the oldest
male to qualify for an Olympic swim team.
"That's an accomplishment in itself'
says Lezak, of Irvine, Calif.
At the recent U.S. Olympic trials in
Omaha, Neb., the 6-foot-4, 215-pounder
Shooting – Doron Egozi, 50-meter rifle
3,10-meter air rifle; Gil Simkovich, 50-
meter rifle 3, 50-meter rifle prone; Guy
Starik, 50-meter rifle prone
Swimming, Men – Itay Chama, 200-
meter breaststroke; Gal Nevo, 200 and
400 individual medley; Guy Barnea,100
breaststroke; Tom Be'eri,100 and 200
breaststroke; Allon Mandel,100 and
200 butterfly, Nimrod Shapira Bar-Or,
200 freestyle
Swimming, Women – Anya Gostamelsky,
50 and 100 freestyle,100 backstroke,
100 butterfly
Synchronized Swimming – Anastasia
Gloushkov and Ina Yoffe, duet
Taekwondo – Bat-El Getterer, 57 kg
Tennis, Men – Andy Ram and Yoni
Erlich, doubles
Tennis, Women – Shahar Peer, singles;
Tzipora Obziler, doubles with Peer
Track and Field, Men – Alex Averbukh,
pole vault; Niki Palli, long jump; Haile
Satayin, marathon; Itai Magidi, 3000-
broke the American record in the 100-
meter freestyle with a semifinal time of
47.58, setting himself up as the probable
anchor on that relay team.
"Winning medals in the relays is such
an amazing feeling, being a part of a
team:' Lezak says.
In part, it was his disappointment
as an individual competitor in Athens
that spurred Lezak to keep his Olympic
dreams. He failed to qualify for the finals
in the 100-meter freestyle, though Lezak
says he had a "great opportunity" to win
an individual medal.
"I took the preliminaries too lightly," he
admits. "I was thinking about how many
races I had to swim and I saved too much
energy.
"I learned a horrible lesson, but it kind
of got me going another four years. I kind
of felt like I had unfinished business?'
Now Lezak, who will be competing in
relays and in the 100-meter race, wants to
mount the podium by himself.
"I'm a team-type player:' he says, "but
to do something on your own feels pretty
good. I have a lot to prove to myself. I
know I'm capable, I just haven't done it
yet?'
He'll have plenty of competition from
Weber-Gale, of Milwaukee, and Wildman-
Tobriner, a fellow Californian. Weber-Gale,
22, edged Lezak in the 100-meter finals in
the trials.
❑
meter steeplechase
Argentina
Hockey, Women – Gisele Kanevsky
Judo, Women – Daniela Krakower
Swimming, Men – Damian Blaum
Table Tennis – Pablo Tabachnik
Weightlifting, Women – Nora Koppel
Australia
Table Tennis – David Zalcberg
Soccer, Women – Tal Karp
Canada
Baseball – Adam Stern
Wrestling – David Zilberman, 96 kg; Ari
Taub,120 kg plus
Chile
Tennis, Men - Nicolas Massu
Great Britain
Rowing – Josh West