Olympics / Swimmer returns to Israel after smashing records

Israeli swimmer Alon Mandel once again set a new national record, this time in the 100-meter butterfly competition. Mandel, whose father died tragically one week ago, finished second in the 100-meter preliminary relay, posting a time of 52.99 seconds.

The result, though, was not enough for Mandel to qualify for the semi-finals. The swimmer is due to return Thursday night to Israel.

Israeli judoka Arik Ze'evi on Thursday lost the battle for the bronze medal, after being defeated by Brazilian judoka Luciano Correa in a repechage round.

Ze'evi was defeated in the second round of the men's 100kg division by his Dutch competitor, European champion Henk Grol.

During an interview with Army Radio, Ze'evi said that he couldn't stop crying after his defeat. Ze'evi added that he hasn't made any firm decisions regarding his professional future. He is mulling retirement, but may also continue competing for one more year until the next world championships.

Israel had pinned its hopes of winning a medal on Ze'evi, who earlier Thursday morning had defeated his French challenger, Frederic Demontfaucon. Ze'evi opened the first-round match strong and dominated over his opponent, despite not gaining any points in the first few minutes. However, he ultimately won 10-0.

Swimmer Gal Nevo finished in 13th place, with a time of 2:00.43, in the men's 200m individual medley semifinals on Thursday.

Nevo made an impressive showing during Wednesday's 200m individual medley heat, placing first and breaking the Israeli record by three seconds with a time of 1:59:66.

Nevo had also advanced to the semifinals in the men's 400m individual medley, where he placed 11th.