Bar Soloveychik


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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 represented Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the Men's 4×200 metre freestyle relay.

Bar Soloveychik

Personal information
Native nameבר סולובייצ'יק
National team Israel
BornAugust 15, 2000 (age 24)
Kiryat Motzkin, Israel
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
ClubMaccabi Kiryat Bialik swim club
College teamUniversity of Minnesota

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]

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]

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 at 17 years of age.[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]

Soloveychik placed first in the 800m free (7:55.48), and third in the 200m free (1:48.63), at the 2021 Israeli National Summer Championships in June.[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]

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]

At the Israel Adults Championships - Criteria Competition in June 2023 he won a gold medal in the Men 400m Freestyle (3:48.55), and a silver medal in the 800m Freestyle (7:57.26).[22]

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]

At the Israel Olympic Trials in June 2024 he won gold medals in the 200m Freestyle (1:47.57), 400m Freestyle (3:47.32), and 800m Freestyle (7:56.90).[22]

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

Soloveychik represented Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the Men's 4×200 metre freestyle relay.[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]

  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. 17 February 2023.
  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. 17 June 2024.
  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. ^ a b c "Bar SOLOVEYCHIK | Results | World Aquatics Official". World Aquatics.
  23. ^ a b "Soloveychik Selected for Israel Olympic Team". University of Minnesota Athletics.