Aussies maintain their cycle of Maccabiah success
Australia's 14 athletes earned 24 medals by the end of the 2026 Maccabiah Games.
In a proud, resilient and heartwarming showing, Australia’s tiny team of 14 athletes finished their 2026 Maccabiah Games campaign in Israel on July 14 having earned a remarkable total haul of 24 medals – for Australia, and in selected events, as contributors to composite international teams.
As previously reported, masters swimmer Alida Lipton won 10 medals, including one gold, six silvers, and three bronzes, within just two days, in the middle of the 11-day Games.
Building on his earlier men’s 65+ gold in duathlon and silver in the open water 3km swim, Maccabi Australia vice-president Barry Lipp won more golds – in the half-marathon, and in the cycling time trial events – in week two, and a fourth gold for coming first in his first Maccabi Man series.
“Those results were way beyond my expectations,” Lipp told The AJN upon returning to Melbourne.
“But after winning the duathlon, I felt if I really focused on every remaining event, I might just have a chance.”
Lipp was full of praise for Lipton’s massive medal haul “and her stamina to swim so much in two days”.
He also commended 21-year-old “charismatic, genuine team player” Joel Solomon for earning a silver and two bronzes in middle distance running, and Sam Parasol for earning bronze in the 70+ men’s table tennis singles in his 10th Maccabiah.
And junior swimmers Mia Goodridge and Zoe Gant who won four relay bronzes in a composite team with Brazilians and Mexicans. Gant also earned bronze in the U17 girls’ 400m freestyle.
And on the last two days of the Maccabiah Games, men’s masters tennis, Darion Pohl and Lior Rauchberger finished in fourth place in the 50+ doubles, and fourth and fifth respectively in the singles, while Akiva Kremnizer placed fourth in the 40-45 singles and doubles.