Maccabi-AJAX’s historic return to relay swimming
They may well become known as the club’s Super Six, for being the first relay squad to swim at a competitive meet under the Maccabi-AJAX Swimming Club (MASC) banner in almost four decades.
One of Melbourne’s top community swimming clubs on the competitive scene from the 1960s until the early 1980s, MASC was re-established only late last year, with the new Maccabi Aquatics learn to swim and squad training facility at Bialik College’s 25m indoor pool becoming its home base.
In recent months, talented teenage swimmers Peri Afranco and Hannah Goldberg became the club’s first representatives in its new era, and were the first to enter individual races at competitive meets as MASC swimmers.
But on March 5, it was time for MASC to return to the relay racing fold after a gap of more than 35 years, at the 2022 Masters Swimming Victoria Short Course Championships held at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre.
Their squad consisted of Marc Blecher, Robert Friedman, Brandon Carp, Paul Fleiszig, Avi Travers and Gideon Meltzer – the latter entering the meet’s para swimming events.
The event was the opening round of a national masters swimming series and an ideal build-up for the 2022 Master Swimming Australia national championships.
MASC entered the medley relay with Fleiszig swimming the backstroke leg, Blecher the breaststroke, Friedman the butterfly and Carp the freestyle.
They came second, which was a fantastic effort and result, and it more than likely helped that they are training partners.
In the meet’s individual events, Blecher blitzed three of them, winning the men’s 50 and 100 breaststroke and the 50 butterfly.
Friedman, Fleiszig and Meltzer will be representing Australia this July at the Maccabiah Games in Israel.
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