Israeli swimmer Anastasia Gorbenko was booed by some spectators during the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar, after she took second place in the distance 400 meters medley swimming.
20-year-old Gorbenko was giving an interview after the swim when the sound of whistling was heard at the Aspire Dome stadium in Doha.
According to The Guardian, the athlete smiled and then sighed. The second time she was booed was when she stood on the podium at the awards ceremony. It is noted that part of the crowd applauded and greeted Gorbenko, partially drowning out the whistles.
Now watching
Amid Israel's war in the Gaza Strip, the presence of Israeli swimmers in Qatar was criticized by some protesters in Doha. SwimSwam reported that booing was heard when Gorbenko's name was announced in English, but not when it was announced in Arabic.
During the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, soldiers were assigned to the Israeli team to ensure security during the competition.
— I've been here for a week now. I heard all these sounds. I'm here to do what I love — sports. I'm here to represent my country. And I do it with the Israeli flag, and I'm proud of it. And if someone doesn't like it, then it's just not my problem, — said Gorbenko.
British swimmer Freya Colbert became the champion in this race, and Italian Sarah Franceschi took bronze.
What is known about Gorbenko
Anastasia Gorbenko was born in the Israeli city of Haifa into a family of emigrants from Ukraine.
At the 2021 World Short Course Championships, she won two gold medals. She also competed in two Olympic finals, broke most of the Israeli national records in the women's and mixed relays, and is considered the most outstanding Israeli swimmer of all time at just 20 years old.
The silver of 20-year-old Gorbenko became the first swimming medal in the history of Israel at the World Aquatics Championships.
