| Bar Soloveychik | |
| Native Name: | בר סולובייצ'יק |
| Birth Date: | 15 August 2000 |
| Birth Place: | Kiryat Motzkin, Israel |
| Strokes: | Freestyle |
| Club: | Maccabi Kiryat Bialik swim club |
| Collegeteam: | University of Minnesota |
Bar Soloveychik (בר סולובייצ'יק; born August 15, 2000) is an Israeli swimmer.[1] He holds the Israeli national records in both the 400m freestyle, and the 800m free. At the 2018 European Junior Swimming Championships, he won a gold medal as part of Israel's 4×200 m freestyle relay. He attends the University of Minnesota, where he has swum sprint, mid-distance, and distance events, and holds school records in the 200 free and 500 free. He won a gold medal at the 2022 Maccabiah Games in the 400 m freestyle. He competes in freestyle and open water.[2] Soloveychik represented Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the Men's 4×200 metre freestyle relay.
His parents are Anatoly and Marina Soloveychik, and he is a native of Kiryat Motzkin, Israel, outside of Haifa.[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] His parents emigrated from the Donbas region of Ukraine to Israel in 1999, and he was born in Israel two years later.[4] He has two siblings, Itay and Aviel.[7] He graduated in 2021 from Makif Hof HaSharon.[7]
Soloveychik is a member of Maccabi Kiryat Bialik swim club.[7] He trained at the Wingate Institute.[4] He competes in 1500 m freestyle, 200 m freestyle, 400 m freestyle, 7.5 km open water, 800 m freestyle, 4x200 m freestyle, and 4x200m freestyle mixed.[2]
He holds the Israeli national records in both the 400m freestyle (3:49.77 in March 2021 at the 2021 Union Cup in Israel, when he was 20 years old), and the 800m free (7:55.48 in June 2021, beating his own record by four seconds).[8] [9] [10] [11] [7] [12]
He competed at the 2017 European Junior Swimming Championships.[7] He competed at the 2017 Maccabiah Games.[7]
At the 2018 European Junior Swimming Championships, in Helsinki, Finland, Soloveychik won a gold medal as part of Israel's 4×200 m freestyle relay at 17 years of age.[7] [13]
At the 2019 Israeli Short Course Championships, Soloveychik won a bronze medal in the 400 freestyle (3:47.82), and a silver medal in the 1,500 freestyle (15:14.13).[14] At the Swim Cup Amsterdam meet, he took 4th place in the 400 and 1,500 freestyles (3:53.94 and 15:34.87 respectively), and 5th place in the 800 LCM freestyle (8:08.00).[14]
In December 2020, he won the Israel Winter Olympic Trials title in the 800, with a 8:01.83, and the 1500 free.[12] [15]
Soloveychik placed first in the 800m free (7:55.48), and third in the 200m free (1:48.63), at the 2021 Israeli National Summer Championships in June.[7] He took first in both the 400m and 800m freestyles at the 2021 Israeli Union Cup.[7] He competed at the 2019 World University Games, in Naples, Italy.[7]
At the 2022 Maccabiah Games, Soloveychik broke the record that had stood for 33 years in the 400 m freestyle, winning in a record time of 3:54.75. After the race, he said: “I feel very proud to compete in the Maccabiah and break the Maccabiah record, especially since it is a very special record that has stood for decades."[7]
Soloveychik attends the University of Minnesota where he is studying computer science, and competing for the Minnesota Golden Gophers he has swum sprint, mid-distance, and distance events.[14] [16] [6] He is coached most closely at the school by Jeff Kostoff and Maddy Olson.[4] He holds school record in 200 free (1:33.56) and 500 free (4:12.76)[7] [17] At his NCAA Championships debut at the 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships in Atlanta, Georgia, Soloveychik placed 13th in the 500 free (4:13.51), 41st in the 200 free (1:34.32), and set the school record in the 500 free prelims (4:12.76).[7]
At the 2022 Big Ten Men's Swimming and Diving Championships in West Lafayette, Indiana in February, he was a three-time finalist, as Soloveychik finished fourth in the 500 y free finals (a school record 4:13.85), fifth in the 200 y free finals (1:33.80), and eighth in the 1650 y free (15:00.14).[7] [18] He was also part of the 800 free relay that placed fifth (6:22.25), leading off with a school record 1:33.56 in the 200 free.[7]
Soloveychik was named College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) 2021-22 First Team Scholar All-American[7] [19] He was named 2022 Honorable Mention All-American.[7]
At the May 2022 Israel Swimming Cup in Netanya, Israel, Soloveychik won the 400 freestyle in a time of 3:51.95.[20]
In his sophomore season at Minnesota in 2022-23, at the Big Ten championships he came in second in the 500 free (4:14.45) and the 1650 free (14:50.93).[21] He was named a CSC Academic All-District honoree, an Academic All-Big Ten honoree, and a CSCAA First Team Scholar All-American.[21]
At the Israel Adults Championships - Criteria Competition in June 2023 he won a gold medal in the Men 400m Freestyle (3:48.55), and a silver medal in the 800m Freestyle (7:57.26).[22]
In his junior season in 2023-24, at the Big Ten championships he came in second in both the 500 free (4:11.49) and the 1650 free (14:45.59).[21] He was named an All-American in the 1650 free, Honorable Mention All-American in the 500 free, Second Team All-Big Ten, Third Team Academic All-American, and an Academic All-Big Ten.[21] He holds the university records in the 200 Free (1:33.41), 500 Free (4:11.33), 1000 free (8:52.95), 1650 free (14:41.40), and 800 free relay (6:16.25).[21]
At the Israel Olympic Trials in June 2024 he won gold medals in the 200m Freestyle (1:47.57), 400m Freestyle (3:47.32), and 800m Freestyle (7:56.90).[22]
His personal best in the 200 metre freestyle is 1:47.28, which he swam at the Israeli Olympic Trials, on June 7, 2024.[22]
Soloveychik represented Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the Men's 4×200 metre freestyle relay.[23] He is the second Minnesota Gopher male ever to swim for Israel at the Olympics, joining Yoav Meiri who did so in 2000.[23]