Negris go for five
TEENAGE brothers Dante and Benno Negri were standout performers among a group of Jewish participants at the recent Georgina Hope Foundation Australian Age Championships, which serve to distinguish this country’s elite swimmers for each respective age.
Held at Sydney Olympic Park and featuring more than 1600 competitors, the Negris, swimming for Victorian club MLC Aquatic, took home five medals between them in a dominant display.
Benno, 16, won gold in the 4×100 Medley Relay and bronze in both 100m freestyle (51.25 seconds) and 4×100 freestyle relay – an eye-catching feat on the national stage.
Meanwhile his younger brother Dante, 14, finished first in 100m butterfly (58.06 seconds) and third in the 4x100m Medley Relay.
Fellow Victorian Jordan Hazan toiled through a busy week, competing in six individual races, with the 15-year-old’s best result arriving in 200m backstroke (11th place).
Sydneysider Alon Pajor, 13, debuted at the Championships, with Maccabi Swimming Club’s only representative placing 11th overall in the 100m freestyle, missing out on 10th spot and a finals berth by 0.1 seconds.
The Moriah College student also claimed the 12th best time in the 50m freestyle, again within milliseconds of becoming Maccabi’s first ever swimmer to make an Age National final.
NSW swimmers Kyron Israelsohn and Zac Freuden rounded out the Jewish contingent, with the former placing 23rd in the 19-years 50m freestyle event while the latter recorded the 40th fastest time in the 18-years 200m Individual Medley.
ADAM BLAU
Pictured: Dante Negri in action at the 2014 Age Championships.
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