Jonatan Kopelev (or Yehonatan, he, יהונתן קופלב; born 1 October 1991) is an Israeli
swimmer
Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...
. He competes in 100 m backstroke, 200 m backstroke, and 50 m backstroke. He won a
gold medal
A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture.
Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...
Maccabi Haifa
Maccabi Haifa ( he, מכבי חיפה) is one of the biggest sports clubs in Israel and a part of the Maccabi association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Haifa which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, such as Football ...
Carmel club. He and his wife Monada live in
Haifa, Israel
Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
.
Swimming career
His club is
Maccabi Haifa
Maccabi Haifa ( he, מכבי חיפה) is one of the biggest sports clubs in Israel and a part of the Maccabi association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Haifa which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, such as Football ...
. Kopelev competes in 100 m backstroke, 200 m backstroke, and 50 m backstroke.
Kopelev won a
gold medal
A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture.
Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...
Debrecen, Hungary
Debrecen ( , is Hungary's second-largest city, after Budapest, the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar County. A city with county rights, it was the largest Hungarian city in the 18th century and i ...
. In doing so he became the first Israeli swimmer to win a gold medal at the European championships. He qualified for the
2012 Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
, swimming a 54.38 in the 100 m backstroke in a competition in Slovenia in June 2012, but was unable to compete in the Games due to an
appendectomy
An appendectomy, also termed appendicectomy, is a Surgery, surgical operation in which the vermiform appendix (a portion of the intestine) is removed. Appendectomy is normally performed as an urgent or emergency procedure to treat complicated acu ...
.
Kopelev came in eighth in the men’s 50 m backstroke at the
2013 World Aquatics Championships
The 15th FINA World Championships ( ca, Campionat Mundial de Natació de 2013, es, Campeonato Mundial de Natación de 2013) were held from 20 July to 4 August in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
Kopelev competed for
Israel at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships
Israel competed at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, South Korea from 12 to 28 July.
Artistic swimming
Israel entered 10 artistic swimmers.
;Women
Legend: (R) = Reserve Athlete
Open water swimming
Israel qualified three m ...
.
See also
*
List of Israeli records in swimming
This is a list of Israeli records in swimming, which are ratified by the Israel Swimming Association. To set a record, you have to be an Israeli citizen. All records were achieved in finals unless otherwise noted.
Long course (50 m) Men
...