During the award ceremony at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar, Israeli swimmer Anastasia Gorbenko faced whistles from the stands as she climbed the podium to receive her medal. It was the first time an Israeli athlete was honored at this championship.
Gorbenko later commented, "I did it for Israel, and I'm proud of it. If someone doesn't like it, it's not my problem. I worked hard for this medal, and I deserve to be on the podium. I wouldn't give it up just because some kids are whistling at me. It's just sport; I don't think sports and politics should be mixed." (quoted from Sportbladet publication)
On February 18, the final day of the championships, Gorbenko secured a silver medal in the 400-meter individual medley, clocking in at 4 minutes and 37.36 seconds. She finished just 22 hundredths of a second behind British champion Freya Colbert.
