By ALLON SINAI
Anya Gostomelsky became the fifth Israeli swimmer to qualify for the Beijing Olympics on Thursday, finishing in 10th position in the 100 meter backstroke at the European Championships in Eindhoven.
Gostomelsky clocked a time of 1:02.86 minutes in her semifinal, more than enough to meet the Olympic Committee of Israeli criteria of finishing among the top 12 swimmers.
Guy Barnea advanced to the 50m backstroke final from first position on Thursday, setting a new Israeli record of 25.43s in his semifinal.
Barnea, who has already secured himself an Olympic berth in the 100m backstroke, was also the quickest swimmer in the morning session and will be confident of claiming a medal in Friday's final.
Alon Mandel and Tom Be'eri came tantalizingly close to Olympic qualification on Thursday, finishing their respected events in 13th place.
Mandel recorded an Israeli record time of 1:59.79m in the 200m butterfly, while Be'eri also set a new local record in the 200m breaststroke clocking a time of 2:13.95m.
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