Anastasia Gorbenko Appointed Captain of Louisville Swimming Team
Israeli Olympic swimmer Anastasia Gorbenko begins her second season at the University of Louisville as team captain, facing a packed schedule including the new CSL league and World Championships.
Anastasia Gorbenko Named Louisville Captain Ahead of New Season
Israeli Olympic swimmer Anastasia Gorbenko, 23, representing Maccabi Kiryat Bialik, will kick off her second season next week with the University of Louisville swim team in Kentucky. Unlike last year, Gorbenko will serve as captain of the Louisville squad, which comprises 23 swimmers.
Launch of the New CSL Swimming League in the US
A new swimming league, the CSL (College Swimming League), is launching this year in the United States, featuring the top 12 collegiate teams in the country. Privately funded, the league aims to generate greater interest among swimming fans through a show-style format. Gorbenko will compete in two preliminary rounds, from which the best teams will advance to the semifinals and finals. Professionally, the CSL encompasses up to eight competitions and is scheduled to conclude on November 7.
Busy Schedule and Upcoming World Championships
Gorbenko's participation in the CSL comes in addition to her role with the Louisville team, which ranked eighth in the NCAA last year. According to her provisional schedule, she may compete in dozens of events during the 2026/27 season, averaging a competition every two weeks.
"I am entering a very busy, interesting, and above all challenging period. I really love to compete and the excitement is high. Competitions do me good. I learn from every start, and in previous years, during seasons when I competed a lot, I succeeded in target competitions. Alongside the heavy load in the pool, my studies will also be very demanding, and the challenge is to balance studies and swimming in the best possible way," said Gorbenko.
This coming December (1–6), Gorbenko is set to participate in the Short Course World Championships in Beijing. In 2021, she won gold medals at this event in Abu Dhabi in the 50-meter breaststroke and 100-meter individual medley, having skipped subsequent editions due to her professional program.
Following the competition in China, she plans to travel to Israel to participate in the Israeli Winter Championships. Between the World Championships and the national championships, during her academic break, she will join the Louisville team for a special training camp in Florida.
