Anastasia Gorbenko will go into Saturday's 200m individual medley final at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris as the fastest qualifier, after clocking 2:11.87 in Friday's heats to top the field ahead of the continent's best.
The 23-year-old, competing for Maccabi Kiryat Bialik and Israel's national team, was up by close to a body length off the backstroke leg before Ireland's Ellen Walshe clawed back ground through the breaststroke 50s. Gorbenko held on to win her heat and finish quickest overall.
Walshe qualified second in 2:12.12, with Britain's Abbie Wood (2:12.23) and 16-year-old Amalie Smith (2:12.45) rounding out the fastest four heading into the final.
It is familiar territory for Gorbenko, who arrives in Paris as the reigning European champion in the event for a third straight time, having won the title in Budapest in 2021, Rome in 2022 and Belgrade in 2024. A win on Saturday would make it four in a row.
There was disappointment elsewhere for Israel's swimming team. Lea Polonsky finished second in her own heat in 2:13.43, a promising swim that nonetheless was not quite enough to reach the final — ONE reports she finished ninth overall and will start as first reserve, ready to step in should another qualifier withdraw.
The two swimmers had shared a podium together at the last edition of these championships in Belgrade, where Gorbenko took gold in the 200m medley and Polonsky claimed silver, so Friday's split outcome will sting a little for the squad even amid Gorbenko's strong showing.
Gorbenko's medley form has been the highlight of an otherwise mixed week for Israel in the French capital, with the team also chasing places across the breaststroke and backstroke programmes as the championships enter their closing stages.
Saturday's final gives Gorbenko, an Olympic finalist and the 2024 world championship silver medallist over 400m medley, the chance to add another continental gold to an already decorated career — and to keep Israel's flag near the top of the medal table in Paris.
