Bruck, Yoav

Sport:
swimming

Country Represented:
Israel

Years Competed:
1992, 1996, 2000

Olympic Info:
One of Israel's greatest swimmers, Bruck competed in three Olympiads. His first Olympic competition was at the 1992 Barcelona Games, where he finished 32nd in the 50-meter freestyle (23.72) and 31st in the 100-meter freestyle (51.46).

At the 1996 Games, Bruck was a member of the 4x100-meter medley relay team (freestyler Bruck, breaststroker Vadim Alexeev, backstroker Eithan Urbach, and butterfly specialist Dan Kutler) that made the final after placing fourth in their preliminary heat (3:42.24). The Israeli team then finished eighth in the final (3:42.90); it was the first time Israel was represented in an Olympic swimming final.

At the 2000 Sydney Games, Bruck helped break the national record in the 4x100-meter freestyle. The Israeli team swam 3:22.06 in the preliminaries, but did not advance to the finals; they officially placed 14th. Bruck also swam in the 4x100-meter medley relay. Israel finished in fifth in the preliminary heat (3:43.39), and did not advance; they were 17th overall. In individual events, Bruck placed 38th in the 100-meter freestyle (51.62), and 34th place in the 50-meter freestyle (23.21).

Career Highlights:
Bruck is currently one of Israel's top swimmers, and probably the country's most well-known swimmer. He attended Auburn University from 1991-1994 and received 18 All-America honors, including a school-record of seven in 1994. Bruck helped Auburn remain one of the top swimming teams in the country. In 1992-93, the Tigers finished sixth in the team competition at the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Championships and the following year, they finished fourth. In 2001, Bruck was inducted into Auburn's Wall of Fame.

While at Auburn, Bruck steadily rose through the world rankings in the freestyle sprint events. In two short years following the 1992 Olympics, he jumped from 96th to 15th in the world in the 50-meter and from 123rd to 30th in the 100-meter. After graduating in 1994, Bruck continued his international success while representing Israel. At the 1994 World Championships, Bruck finished eighth in the 50-meter freestyle (22.84), and 18th in the 100-meter (50.81). In 1995, he finished in sixth place in the 50-meter freestyle at the European Championships. His time of 22.79 broke the Israeli national record, a record he still holds!

In 1997, Yoav finished seventh in the 50-meter freestyle (23.03) at the European Championships and won the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter freestyle at the Maccabiah Games. That year, he shared Israel's Sportsman of the Year honors with swimmer Eithan Urbach. He returned to the World Championships in 1998 and finished eleventh in the 50-meter freestyle (22.90), and 21st in the 100-meter freestyle (50.74). At the 2000 European Championships, Bruck was a member of the 4x100-meter medley (3:43.48) team which placed eighth.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. March 6, 1972

Origin:
Ashkalon, Israel

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