Gal Nevo posted the best performance by an Israeli at the World Short Course Swimming Championships in Dubai.
Nevo, 23, finished seventh in the 400 metres medley in a record 4:05.26. He went on to set a new Israeli record despite finishing 23rd in the 200 meters butterfly.
The competition saw Israel overcome diplomatic obstacles to compete successfully thanks to the intervention of IOC executive member Alex Gilady. However, although the Israeli flag flew in the UAE, there was disappointment during the opening ceremony when the MC announced Israel as I.S.R.
Israel Swimming Federation chairman Noam Zvi said: "The ISR incident aside, I was surprised at how warmly we were greeted in Dubai."
While Nevo was the only Israeli swimmer to reach the finals, there were also records for Guy Barnea in the 50 metres and 100 metres backstroke and Amit Ivri in the women's 50 metres and 100 metres butterfly.
Ivri finished 10th in the 100 metres butterfly, missing the final by just 0.02 seconds, and she was 11th in the 50 metres butterfly. Alon Mandel had personal record swims in the 50 metres and 100 metres butterfly.
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