The drama surrounding Anastasia Gorbenko's absence from the 200m individual medley final has the Israeli delegation in turmoil, with the swimmer fuming over the missed opportunity.
Gorbenko finished 9th in the qualifiers, just missing the cut for an automatic spot in the final, landing her as the first alternate if any of the top eight couldn't compete. As it turned out, Australian swimmer Ella Ramsey withdrew due to illness before the race.
Gorbenko was called up to replace her – but with only 25 minutes to go before the start, she was far from ready. She wasn’t even near the pool when the call came through; instead, she was heading to a dinner hosted by the Olympic Committee at 9:30 p.m., while the final was set for 9:08 p.m.. Thinking ahead, Gorbenko had asked if she should take her gear to the call room at the Olympic pool, as protocol dictates, but was assured by senior delegation officials that she wouldn't be needed due to the short time remaining before the final.
The dinner that caused her to miss the final
(Video: Private footage)
This turn of events left Gorbenko and her team furious, as she wasn't involved in the decision-making process. When the late call came to the Israeli association, the response was that she wouldn’t compete due to the short notice – without consulting her.
The Israeli association claims the call came at the last minute and that Gorbenko's professional team decided she didn't need to be in the pool area. Interestingly, the second reserve swimmer also didn’t make it in time, so only seven swimmers competed. The association said in a statement: "We will learn lessons from this event."