Anastasia Gorbenko won the gold medal on Wednesday at the LEN European Aquatics Championships in Belgrade, triumphing in the 400-meter individual medley with a time of 4:36.05 minutes.
This is Israel’s third medal in the championship after three days of competition. This also marks Gorbenko’s third medal at the championship, following her victories with the women’s and mixed relay teams.
This is the first time Gorbenko has won a medal in the 400-meter individual medley at the European Championships, after claiming the silver medal at the World Championships this year in Qatar.
Previously, the Israeli swimmer has won gold twice in the 200-meter individual medley at the European Championships in Budapest (2021) and Rome (2022). Vivien Jackl of Hungary took the silver (4:38.96), and Szuzsanna Jakabos, also from Hungary, won the bronze (4:40.24).
"It was a very exciting swimming race, not boring at all; there was a bit of a battle, and I felt the pressure toward the end," Gorbenko said after her victory.
"I am pleased that I managed to win, and I think I still have room for improvement in the coming month. I look forward to getting back to hard work. Currently, I am training between the races, and swimming a lot, and I hope it pays off in the next month. I want to thank everyone who supported and cheered from Israel."
Gorbenko has now won two individual gold medals at the European Championships, finishing first in the 200-meter individual medley in both 2021 and 2022. What was once her stronger event, she now excels in the doubled distance as well. At the most recent World Championships, she won the silver medal in the 400-meter individual medley. This year, she recorded the fifth-best time in the world for the 400-meter individual medley—4:34.87 minutes.
Gorbenko is already considered the greatest Israeli swimmer in history, holding nine Israeli records out of 17 long-course events. In 2024, she remains at the top globally in both the 200-meter and 400-meter individual medleys, two of the most intense events in swimming.