July 24, 2003
Former Georgia Tech all-America swimmer Shilo Ayalon placed 10th in the world in the 800-meter freestyle at the FINA World Championships in Barcelona, Spain.
Swimming for his native Israel, Ayalon’s time of 8:07.85 was a personal best as well as the Israeli national record.
Ayalon also swam the 400 meter freestyle, placing 26th with a time of 3:57.79. His best event is the 1,500-meter freestyle, in which he will compete Saturday. He was ranked No. 23 in the world in that event in 2002.
Ayalon graduated from Georgia Tech in May after a four-year career that made him the most decorated swimmer in school history. He was a three-time all-America in the 1,650 free, including a fourth-place finish at the 2003 NCAA Championships. The seven-time all-conference honoree was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference 50th Anniversary Team for Men’s Swimming and Diving.
A first-team Verizon Academic All-America, Ayalon graduated with highest honor in electrical engineering and was awarded postgraduate scholarships by the ACC and the NCAA.
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