Historic representation • Six Maccabi Haifa Carmel swimmers at the Paris 24 Olympics

Barzali and Maraena achieved the criterion in the last day and will also take off with the Israeli delegation next month, July 2024. The chairman of the swimming department of Maccabi Haifa is "exciting that it is hard to explain". Great and unprecedented pride for the Maccabi Haifa Carmel Association and the association's magnificent swimming department.

A tremendous record of the swimmer Adam Marana

As part of the Olympic Criterion Competition (TRIALS) which also continued on Thursday 6/6/24 in the swimming pool at the Wingate Institute, a record moment was recorded in the preliminary strokes belonging to the association's swimmer, Adam Marana, who set the Olympic criterion in the 100 backstroke, while comparing the Israeli record when Stops the clock at 53.60 seconds amid the cheers.

He improved his personal record by almost a second, the same record he broke last summer (54.52 seconds). The record of the green swimmer made him the leader in the record table list next to the Olympic swimmer, Jacob Tomarkin.

Maraena (20), who is considered one of the association's talented swimmers since he was young, was born in Haifa. His mother is Jewish and his father is Muslim. The achievement made him the first Arab-Israeli swimmer in the Olympic Games and the third Arab-Israeli athlete ever in the Israeli delegation to the games. 

In an interview, he said for the following:

I surprised myself, I am very happy. I have hard work ahead of me in the next month and a half in order to achieve the best possible to represent the country and the association with respect.

A prestigious achievement for swimmer Aviv Barzali

Another prestigious achievement belongs to the Maccabi Haifa Carmel swimmer, Aviv Barzali, who on Wednesday 5/6/24 set the criterion in the 200 backstroke with a personal record of 2:09.63 minutes, and she will also fly to Paris next month to represent the country and the association. As you remember, Barzli qualified for the semi-finals at the Olympics in Tokyo.

The green swimmer said:

I'm really happy, I worked super hard for this.

The achievements of the swimmers received many compliments from the heads of the association who did not hide their excitement.

Adi Segal, chairman of the swimming department of Maccabi Haifa Carmel:

It was so exciting that it's hard to explain. Adam is a Cinderella story. From a place that doesn't count you out to get one is amazing. We invested a large investment in him because we believed in him. He is a home swimmer, soul. An athlete whose future is still ahead of him. We are simply proud of him and also of the spring that made a great achievement. After a difficult and challenging year with the 7th of October when she is in the USA and is dealing with it alone there to come and make such an achievement sharply. It is amazing. She is a Money Time swimmer.

List of Maccabi Haifa swimmers to Paris:

• Miron Freestyle 50 free
• Aviv Barzilai 200 back
• Adam Marana 100 gb
• Ayala Spitz relay 4*200
• Roni Polonsky - currently a messenger. Will try to set a criterion at the weekend.
• Leah Polonsky - currently also on a mission and will try to set a personal criterion at the weekend.
• David Gerchik - missed by 3 hundredths and will try again at the European Championship.