Israeli swimmer Anastasia Gorbenko took to social media on Tuesday to express her disappointment with her performance at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. She also criticized the Israel Swimming Association (ISA) for not giving her the opportunity to swim in an Olympic final, despite having earned the right to do so.
"After completing my participation in the Olympic Games, I want to share my feelings of regret, disappointment and frustration with you," the 20-year-old Israeli athlete wrote. "Unfortunately, I was unable to bring forth my best abilities to the pool and didn't meet the expectations and goals I set for myself."
"I'm sure I will learn from the mistakes I made during the competition and apply the lessons in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games and while making my way there," she added.
Gorbenko, who arrived in Paris after winning her third consecutive gold medal at the European Championship, hoped to reach the finals in every event she competed in and possibly even get close to the podium in the 400m individual medley. However, she finished without making it to any finals, compared to her previous two in Tokyo 2020.
Gorbenko finished the preliminaries in ninth place in the 200m individual medley, which doesn't qualify for the final directly. She was registered as the first alternate in case one of the top eight swimmers could not compete.
And so, when Australian Ella Ramsay announced she was ill before the race, Gorbenko was invited to replace her – but was only given a 25-minute notice before the start and wasn't prepared for the competition at all. She wasn’t even near the pool when the call came, as she was on her way to a dinner with the Olympic Committee.
"The frustration is particularly great considering I had the opportunity to compete in the Olympic final in the 200m individual medley and, due to the decisions of the professional teams, was denied the great privilege of swimming in the Olympic final and continuing to represent the country," she wrote.
"I hope that just as I scrutinize myself throughout the journey, the responsible parties managing me professionally will do the same," Gorbenko added.
The sequence of events angered Gorbenko after she wasn't involved in the decision. When the late call arrived, Israeli Olympic officials said she wouldn't compete due to the short notice without consulting her before answering.
The Israeli Olympic Association claimed the call came at the last moment and that Gorbenko’s professional team decided there was no need for her to enter the pool. "We will draw lessons from the incident," the association said in a statement.