Swimming: Toumarkin strikes silver at Euros

It was the Israeli delegation’s second medal in London, with Gal Nevo ending the 200m individual medley final in second place last week.

By ALLON SINAI
Israel swimmer Yakov Toumarkin (left) claimed the blue-and-white delegation’s second medal at the European Championships in London yesterday, ending the 200-meter backstroke final in second place behind Poland’s Radoslaw Kawecki (center) and ahead of bronze medalist Danas Rapsys of Lithuania. (photo credit: REUTERS)
Israel swimmer Yakov Toumarkin (left) claimed the blue-and-white delegation’s second medal at the European Championships in London yesterday, ending the 200-meter backstroke final in second place behind Poland’s Radoslaw Kawecki (center) and ahead of bronze medalist Danas Rapsys of Lithuania.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Yakov Toumarkin claimed his third career medal at the European Swimming Championships on Saturday, ending the 200-meter backstroke final in second place to win a silver.
The 24-year-old, who won bronze medals in the 100m and 200m back at the Europeans in Debrecen, Hungary four years ago, clocked a time of 1:56.97 minutes and finished behind only Radoslaw Kawecki of Poland (1:55.98m).
It was the Israeli delegation’s second medal in London, with Gal Nevo ending the 200m individual medley final in second place last week.
“I’m mainly exhausted, but I’m happy,” said Toumarkin, who missed out on a medal in the 100m back last week by 17 hundredths of a second. “I had hoped to take a medal.
I didn’t know what color it would be, but I certainly planned to scale the podium. My result is slightly slower than my personal record, but I’m happy that I’m at such a good level that I don’t need to break my record in order to reach the podium.
This gives me a lot of strength and confidence ahead of Rio and I’m very pleased.”
Toumarkin registered the best-ever finish for an Israeli at the Olympics in London four years ago, ending the 200m back in seventh place.
“Yakov registered a result which can give him a place in the Olympic final in Rio,” said national team coach Leonid Kaufman.
“That was the goal and I’m happy that he achieved it.”
Also Saturday, Israel’s 4X200m freestyle team ended its final in the eighth and last place. Tom Kremer, Alexi Konovalov, Ido Haber and David Gamburg clocked a time of 7:16.82m, 57 hundredths of a second slower than the national record they set in the morning heats.
The championships will come to a close on Sunday, with Nevo hoping to win his second medal in the event when he takes part in the 400m IM.