Bar Soloveychik

Israeli swimmer (born 2000)
Bar Soloveychik
Personal information
Native nameבר סולובייצ'יק
National team Israel
Born (2000-08-15) August 15, 2000 (age 23)
Kiryat Motzkin, Israel
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
ClubMaccabi Kiryat Bialik swim club
College teamUniversity of Minnesota

Bar Soloveychik (בר סולובייצ'יק; born August 15, 2000) is an Israeli swimmer.[1] He holds the Israeli national records in both the 400m freestyle, and the 800m free. At the 2018 European Junior Swimming Championships, he won a gold medal as part of Israel's 4×200 m freestyle relay. He attends the University of Minnesota, where he has swum sprint, mid-distance, and distance events, and holds school records in the 200 free and 500 free. He won a gold medal at the 2022 Maccabiah Games in the 400 m freestyle. He competes in freestyle and open water.[2] Soloveychik will represent Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics at the Paris La Défense Arena in the Men's 4×200 metre freestyle relay on July 30, 2024.

Early life

His parents are Anatoly and Marina Soloveychik, and he is a native of Kiryat Motzkin, Israel, outside of Haifa.[3][4][5][6][7] His parents emigrated from the Donbas region of Ukraine to Israel in 1999, and he was born in Israel two years later.[4] He has two siblings, Itay and Aviel.[7] He graduated in 2021 from Makif Hof HaSharon.[7]

Swimming career

Soloveychik is a member of Maccabi Kiryat Bialik swim club.[7] He trained at the Wingate Institute.[4] He competes in 1500 m freestyle, 200 m freestyle, 400 m freestyle, 7.5 km open water, 800 m freestyle, 4x200 m freestyle, and 4x200m freestyle mixed.[2]

He holds the Israeli national records in both the 400m freestyle (3:49.77 in March 2021 at the 2021 Union Cup in Israel, when he was 20 years old), and the 800m free (7:55.48 in June 2021, beating his own record by four seconds).[8][9][10][11][7][12]

2017-20

He competed at the 2017 European Junior Swimming Championships.[7] He competed at the 2017 Maccabiah Games.[7]

At the 2018 European Junior Swimming Championships, in Helsinki, Finland, Soloveychik won a gold medal as part of Israel's 4×200 m freestyle relay.[7][13]

At the 2019 Israeli Short Course Championships, Soloveychik won a bronze medal in the 400 freestyle (3:47.82), and a silver medal in the 1,500 freestyle (15:14.13).[14] At the Swim Cup Amsterdam meet, he took 4th place in the 400 and 1,500 freestyles (3:53.94 and 15:34.87 respectively), and 5th place in the 800 LCM freestyle (8:08.00).[14]

In December 2020, he won the Israel Winter Olympic Trials title in the 800, with a 8:01.83, and the 1500 free.[12][15]

2021-22

Soloveychik placed first in the 800m free, and third in the 200m free, at the 2021 Israeli National Summer Championships.[7] He took first in both the 400m and 800m freestyles at the 2021 Israeli Union Cup.[7] He competed at the 2019 World University Games, in Naples, Italy.[7]

At the 2022 Maccabiah Games, Soloveychik broke the record that had stood for 33 years in the 400 m freestyle, winning in a record time of 3:54.75.[citation needed] After the race, he said: “I feel very proud to compete in the Maccabiah and break the Maccabiah record, especially since it is a very special record that has stood for decades."[7]

Soloveychik attends the University of Minnesota where he is studying computer science, and competing for the Minnesota Golden Gophers he has swum sprint, mid-distance, and distance events.[14][16][6] He is coached most closely at the school by Jeff Kostoff and Maddy Olson.[4] He holds school record in 200 free (1:33.56) and 500 free (4:12.76)[7][17] At his NCAA Championships debut at the 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships in Atlanta, Georgia, Soloveychik placed 13th in the 500 free (4:13.51), 41st in the 200 free (1:34.32), and set the school record in the 500 free prelims (4:12.76).[7]

At the 2022 Big Ten Men's Swimming and Diving Championships in West Lafayette, Indiana in February, he was a three-time finalist, as Soloveychik finished fourth in the 500 y free finals (a school record 4:13.85), fifth in the 200 y free finals (1:33.80), and eighth in the 1650 y free (15:00.14).[7][18] He was also part of the 800 free relay that placed fifth (6:22.25), leading off with a school record 1:33.56 in the 200 free.[7]

Soloveychik was named College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) 2021-22 First Team Scholar All-American[7][19] He was named 2022 Honorable Mention All-American.[7]

At the May 2022 Israel Swimming Cup in Netanya, Israel, Soloveychik won the 400 freestyle in a time of 3:51.95.[20]

2023-present

In his sophomore season at Minnesota in 2022-23, at the Big Ten championships he came in second in the 500 free (4:14.45) and the 1650 free (14:50.93).[21] He was named a CSC Academic All-District honoree, an Academic All-Big Ten honoree, and a CSCAA First Team Scholar All-American.[21]

In his junior season in 2023-24, at the Big Ten championships he came in second in both the 500 free (4:11.49) and the 1650 free (14:45.59).[21] He was named an All-American in the 1650 free, Honorable Mention All-American in the 500 free, Second Team All-Big Ten, Third Team Academic All-American, and an Academic All-Big Ten.[21] He holds the university records in the 200 Free (1:33.41), 500 Free (4:11.33), 1000 free (8:52.95), 1650 free (14:41.40), and 800 free relay (6:16.25).[21]

His person best in the 200 metre freestyle is 1:47.28, which he swam at the Israeli Olympic Trials, on June 7, 2024.[22]

2024 Paris Olympics

Soloveychik will represent Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics at the Paris La Défense Arena in the Men's 4×200 metre freestyle relay on July 30, 2024.[23] He is the second Minnesota Gopher male ever to swim for Israel at the Olympics, joining Yoav Meiri who did so in 2000.[23]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Bar Soloveychik - Player Profile - Swimming". Eurosport.
  2. ^ a b "Swimming - Bar Soloveychik (Israel)". www.the-sports.org.
  3. ^ Long, Chris (February 4, 2023). "Gophers swimmer Soloveychik re-writing U's record books". KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News.
  4. ^ a b c d "Meet Bar Soloveychik, the Israeli swimmer shattering Gophers records". Star Tribune.
  5. ^ Chandler Brandes (March 23, 2020). "Golden Gophers Collect Class of 2025 Verbals from Chris Morris, Bar Soloveychik". Swimming World Magazine.
  6. ^ a b "Bar Soloveychik". Swimcloud.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Bar Soloveychik - Swimming & Diving". University of Minnesota Athletics.
  8. ^ איתמר קציר (April 1, 2021). "סנסציה בבריכה: בר סולובייצ'יק שבר שיא ישראלי נוסף". Haaretz.
  9. ^ Race, Retta (March 30, 2021). "Soloveychik Becomes First Israeli Man Under 3:50 In 400 Free". SwimSwam.
  10. ^ Penland, Spencer (June 13, 2021). "Tomer Frankel Secures Olympic Berth with 51.81 100 Fly Israeli National Record". SwimSwam.
  11. ^ Edmund, Emma (October 17, 2021). "Purdue Men Fall to Minnesota in 2021-2022 Home Opener". SwimSwam.
  12. ^ a b Race, Retta (April 1, 2021). "Soloveychik Makes It A Double With 800 Free Israeli National Record". SwimSwam.
  13. ^ "אתר איגוד השחייה | נבחרות". Israel Swimming.
  14. ^ a b c Hetzel, Lucas (March 9, 2020). "Minnesota Secures Verbal From Distance Swimmer Bar Soloveychik of Israel". SwimSwam.
  15. ^ Anderson, Jared (December 18, 2020). "Gorbenko & Soleveychik Highlight Distance Events On Final Day In Israel". SwimSwam.
  16. ^ Edmund, Emma (November 1, 2021). "Minnesota Sweeps St. Thomas in Men's Home Opener". SwimSwam.
  17. ^ 2021-22 STATISTICS BOOK, MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS SWIMMING & DIVING.
  18. ^ "Another School Record Taken Down by Soloveychik". University of Minnesota Athletics. February 24, 2022.
  19. ^ Dan D'Addona (June 30, 2022). "CSCAA Names Scholar All-American Teams: Recognizes NCAA Qualifiers With 3.50 GPAs (Full List)". Swimming World Magazine.
  20. ^ Pelshaw, Anya (May 18, 2022). "Kristian Pitschugin Hits Israeli National Record at Israel Association Cup". SwimSwam.
  21. ^ a b c d e "Bar Soloveychik - Men's Swimming & Diving". University of Minnesota Athletics.
  22. ^ [1]
  23. ^ a b "Soloveychik Selected for Israel Olympic Team". University of Minnesota Athletics.

External links

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