75°F
weather icon Clear

Israeli swimmer jeered, then cheered by crowd at worlds in Qatar

DOHA, Qatar — Israeli swimmer Anastasia Gorbenko was jeered by some of the crowd after finishing second in the women’s 400-meter medley on the closing day of the World Aquatics Championships in Qatar on Sunday.

The 20-year-old Gorbenko was making poolside comments moments after the race when the jeers rang out at the Aspire Dome in Doha.

“I’m just so happy to be here and represent my country in this hard time,” Gorbenko said amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. “Being here with the Israeli flag means a lot to me and to my country, so that’s the best I can do.”

Others in the crowd then drowned out the jeers with applause and cheers.

British swimmer Freya Colbert won the race in 4 minutes, 37.14 seconds. Gorbenko clocked 4:37.36 and Italy’s Sara Franceschi was third in 4:37.86.

All three attended their medal ceremony later Sunday.

MOST READ
Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
California bans most law enforcement officers from wearing masks during operations

California became the first state to ban most law enforcement officers, including federal immigration agents, from covering their faces while conducting official business under a bill that was signed Saturday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

4.3 magnitude earthquake jolts San Francisco Bay Area

An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.3 rocked the San Francisco Bay Area early Monday, waking up many people, with more 22,000 saying they felt it, according to the United States Geological Survey.

MORE STORIES