Jonatan Kopelev
Jonatan Kopelev (or Yehonatan, Hebrew: יהונתן קופלב; born 1 October 1991) is an Israeli swimmer. He competes in 100 m backstroke, 200 m backstroke, and 50 m backstroke. He won a gold medal in the 50 m backstroke at the 2012 European Aquatics Championships.
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Johnny[1] |
| Nationality | Israel |
| Born | 1 October 1991 |
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Swimming |
| Strokes | Backstroke |
| Club | Maccabi Haifa |
Medal record
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Early and personal life
Kopelev began swimming at age seven, at the Maccabi Haifa Carmel club.[2] He and his wife Monada live in Haifa, Israel.[3]
Swimming career
His club is Maccabi Haifa.[4] Kopelev competes in 100 m backstroke, 200 m backstroke, and 50 m backstroke.[5]
Kopelev won a gold medal in the 50 metre backstroke at the 2012 European Aquatics Championships in Debrecen, Hungary.[6] In doing so he became the first Israeli swimmer to win a gold medal at the European championships.[7] He qualified for the 2012 Olympics, 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.[8][9]
Kopelev came in eighth in the men’s 50 m backstroke at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships, with a lifetime best of 24.73.[10]
In July 2016 he posted the fastest time in 2016 for the men’s 50 m backstroke with a time of 24.60, also setting a new Israeli record.[11]
In December 2018 Kopelev came in second in the 50 S backstroke in the Israel International Arena Winter Championship with a time of 24.25.[12]
Kopelev competed for Israel at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships.[13]