Gostomelsky fourth in 50m backstroke final at worlds

The 24-year-old topped her highlight-filled week on Sunday by improving on her Israeli record.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Gostomelsky 88 (photo credit: )
Gostomelsky 88
(photo credit: )
Anna Gostomelsky won't forget the 2006 World Swimming Championships (short course) in Shanghai, China, for a long time. The 24-year-old Israeli topped her highlight-filled week on Sunday by improving on her Israeli record and finishing fourth in the 50-meter backstroke final in 27.46 seconds. Gostomelsky came in fifth in the 100 backstroke final on Thursday and set an Israeli record in the 50 in Saturday's semifinals. On Sunday, she shaved an additional 0.27 seconds from her mark, but still trailed China's Chang Gao by 0.18 seconds for the bronze. Germany's Janine Pietsch won the gold with a championship record of 27.00, while Australian Tayliah Zimmer (27.25) won the silver. The medal-winning trio also took 1-2-3 in the 100, but this time Gostomelsky overtook New Zealand's Hannah McLean (27.76) for fourth. Earlier Sunday, Yoav Gat placed 14th of 29 in the 200-meter backstroke - the only event he competed in at the five-day championships. Gat (2:00.14) was over 4.5 seconds away from qualifying for the final, a feat he accomplished four years ago. Guy Barnea, who was listed on the start list for the fifth heat, did not start. The short course championships differ in that each pool length is 25 meters, as opposed to 50 in an Olympic regulation pool.