Aug. 3, 2009
ROME – Georgia Tech rising senior Gal Nevo finished sixth in the 400-IM last night at the 2009 FINA World Championships held in Rome, Italy. Representing Israel, Nevo touched the wall in 4:12.33. The United States’ Ryan Lochte won the event with a time of 4:07.01.
Nevo broke his own Israeli record by 2.52 seconds in the morning heat with a time of 4:11.51. The sixth place finish also equaled the best finish ever by an Israeli at the World Championships. Nevo is only the fourth Israeli to reach a final at the World Championships in an Olympic-sanctioned event. Nevo was in sixth place in the final after finishing the opening 100-meter butterfly in 57.39. He dropped to last in the race following the backstroke section (1:06.56), but moved up to fifth after the breaststroke (1:09.63). He ended the race with a 58.75 in the freestyle and held on for sixth position overall.
Earlier in the championship, Nevo finished ninth in the 200-IM. His mark of 1:58.25 was just .14 seconds off earning a spot in the finals.
The 2009 ACC Male Swimmer of the Year, Nevo was an All-American in both the 200-IM and 400-IM this season. At the NCAA Championships, he finished second in the 400-IM with a mark of 3:38.00. That was the second fastest time in NCAA history and third-best in the world. He also finished fourth at the NCAA meet in the 200-IM with a time of 1:42.79. Both of those marks were Georgia Tech and ACC records.
