Records fall at swim champs
THE 65th annual NSW Jewish Swimming Championships proved fruitful for the Blumberg clan, with cousins Josh and Noah rising above the field at Maroubra’s Des Renford pool on Sunday.
First up was 19-year-old NSW University student Josh Blumberg, who took out the prestigious 100m men’s open freestyle, beating out reigning champ and record holder Kyron Israelsohn, 18, from Lane Cove Swimming Club.
Blumberg shot away during his first lap and held off the fast finishing Israelsohn to secure the Australian Jewish News trophy and its $100 prize. Clovelly’s Josh Zwi, 17, came a close third.
Meanwhile, Blumberg’s younger cousin Noah, who was inspired to start swimming because of the success of his older relative, also enjoyed a stellar meet with an undefeated record in the 9-year-old boys’ events.
Israelson bounced back from narrow defeat in the Champs’ main event and went on to set meet records in the 17 to 24-age category for 50m butterfly (27.48) and 50m freestyle (25.13).
There were new faces on the winner’s podium in the open girls’ 100m freestyle, with 13-year-old Maya Murphy from Knox Pymble touching first for the Australian Jewish News cup.
In second-place was Victorian Brooke Roseman, 13, while last year’s winner Mikaela Rifkin, 18, from St Ives, finished third.
It was the first of six wins for young Murphy — an outstanding effort that garnered her the Jo Bos memorial trophy for 13-years-and-over swimmer of the meet.
Isabella Coghlan managed to just hold on to the 12-years-and-under trophy, edging fellow Maroubra 12-year-old Jared Elbourne by four points.
Coghlan would have competed at the Nipper’s Branch Championships on Sunday morning but rough surf conditions saw its cancellation, meaning she was well rested enough to break two Jewish Championship records.
She surpassed the previous best time for 50m butterfly (36.14), while both her and Elbourne set new benchmarks in the gruelling Under-12 200m individual medley; Coghlan with a time of 2.54.38 and Elbourne in 2.46.88.
Other success stories were Moriah College’s Frankie Kogan, who went unbeaten in the Under-8 boys’ events and Randwick’s Maya Antonir, a standout in the Under-7 25m races.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, 47-year-old Amanda Penkin broke her own 50m breastroke record with a time of 46.58, winning over those 20 years younger than her.
DEB GRUNFELD
Main picture: On your marks: the start of the 100m men’s freestyle, won by 19-year-old Josh Blumberg.
Photographer: Noel Kessel
comments