Aug. 6, 2009

Photos of Silver at the Maccabiah Games

TEL AVIV - Miami senior distance runner Kevin Silver traded in his RedHawk red and white jersey for a red, white and blue one this July, when he was among 900 athletes to represent the United States at the 2009 Maccabiah Games held in Israel. Miami senior sprinter Margarita Pogorelov also competed in the 18th Maccabiah Games, but for the host country, as she is a native of Bat Yam, Israel.

Simply representing America wasn't enough for the Beachwood, Ohio, native however, as he took home the bronze medal in the 5,000 meters in a time of 14:52 at Hadar Yosef Stadium in Tel Aviv. Silver was the top American placer among four U.S. runners, finishing behind a pair of Ethiopians. Pogorelov would not be outdone by her fellow RedHawk, earning a pair of silver medals in the 100- and 200-meter dashes in front of her home crowd. She was the top Israeli finisher in both events with times of 12.09 seconds and 24.78 seconds, respectively, clocking in just tenths behind Canadian Nicole Gitlin in both races.

"It was impressive and rare having a teammate (at Miami) that is one of (Israel's) best sprinters," Silver said.

The Maccabiah Games, held every four years in Israel, saw over 8,000 Jewish athletes from over 60 countries on six continents participate in the world's third-largest sporting event. Athletes ranged from 18 years old to their 30s and included multiple regional qualifiers from schools around the country and even a few former Olympians. The Games ran from July 12 through July 24 (the two RedHawks competed July 14 and 15), as athletes competed in 31 sports. U.S. Olympic gold medalist swimmer Jason Lezak commenced the Games at the Opening Ceremonies held at Ramat Gan Stadium.

"The best part (of the Games) was meeting people from other (college) teams around the country," Silver said. "The opening ceremony was awesome. It was a huge venue and the Israeli prime minister spoke. The thing I'll remember the most is the people I met and how much fun it was."

Miami head cross country/track and field coach Warren Mandrell received an email asking if Silver would be interested in competing and upon hearing the offer, Silver knew it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

"Everybody who you were competing against was Jewish," Silver said. "At college, you rarely find Jewish athletes. Occasionally you might compete against one, but (at the Games) everybody you're with was Jewish. It was a lot of fun meeting so many different people from around the country and I also met people from abroad. I've been keeping in touch since I got home and I expect to keep in touch."

The 2008 Mid-American Conference cross country runner-up even added to his wardrobe, as athletes would trade with competitors from other nations for their gear. Silver swapped some of his U.S. apparel for a Brazilian soccer jersey and bargained for a jacket from the British team.

Silver was in Israel for three weeks with Team USA, arriving on July 2 and staying through the end of the Games. The first week, Silver and his teammates traveled the Middle Eastern country taking day trips from their base hotel in Tel Aviv. He swam (and floated) in the Dead Sea, climbed atop Masada and visited the Sea of Galilee, before buckling down for business the final two weeks, when the team stayed in Jerusalem. Although Silver competed just one day, he continued to work out for the upcoming cross country season and supported his teammates.

"The experience was awesome," Silver added. "I'd been to Israel before, but when I went last time it was 100 percent touring and this time we only toured for a week so I got to enjoy and see what the country's really like. We were able to get around by cab and do our own thing."

--MURedHawks.com--

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