Aussies off to a top start in Israel
Australia's small Maccabiah team has already won multiple medals, led by Barry Lipp's historic first gold.
The Australian team may only have 14 athletes at the 2026 Maccabiah Games, but they are already punching above their weight, having earned several medals already, including the first gold in any sport – won last Friday morning (Israel time) in an inspiring performance by masters athlete Barry Lipp.
The 68-year-old Melburnian came first in the men’s 65+ duathlon in the beautiful Beit She’an Valley, and then on Sunday, backed up by winning silver in the second event of the Maccabi Man series – the 3km open water swim in Lake Kinneret, finishing in a time of 1:16.21.
This is the Maccabi Australia vice president’s fifth Maccabiah campaign as an athlete, but he only decided to travel to Israel eight days earlier, due to the circumstances.
He described this year’s opening ceremony on July 1, and winning the first medal for Australia at the postponed by a year 22nd Maccabiah Games, as “very emotional”.
Speaking to The AJN after winning gold, Lipp revealed he had been slightly concerned about his chances when a rare water quality issue in the river forced officials to change the race from a sprint-distance triathlon to a duathlon, with his strongest leg – swimming – being replaced by an extra run leg.
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