Jews in the News

A year ago, 28-year-old Melburnian Yisroel Rosenbaum felt encouraged by his very decent 323rd placing in his debut Ironman Pro Series event in Busselton, Western Australia.

Spurred on by that performance, the Aussie Rules player for AJAX committed to weekday and weekend triathlon-specific training as soon as the footy season ended, aiming to further improve at the 2024 Ironman Western Australia, held in treacherous weather conditions in Busselton last Sunday.

He not only improved a bit but smashed three minutes off his previous time, reaching the finish after the gruelling 3.8km swim, 180km cycle, and 42.2km marathon distance run, in 10 hours, 53 minutes, and 44 seconds. That placed him 230th out of the 1355 entrants and 1112 finishers and, crucially, 38th out of 138 in the men’s 25–29 category.

Moments later, he learned that by finishing in the top 65, he’d earned direct qualification for next year’s Ironman World Championships, to be held in Nice, France, in mid-September.

Rosenbaum told The AJN on Tuesday that when he’d leaped over the finish line, it was in elation simply for finishing strongly in the wet and windy conditions. At that point, “I wasn’t actually aware of my time.

“When I found out, it was amazing, as I didn’t expect it and it 100 per cent made all the training worthwhile,” he said. “Then I found out I’d qualified for the worlds … and two days later, it still feels very surreal.”

Strong winds created a huge swell in the swim leg, and a big storm created havoc midway through the cycling leg. Rosenbaum had to deal with some cramps but persevered and powered on.

“The key was really staying focused and present in each moment, by compartmentalising the day,” he said. “Talking to other athletes to try to motivate each other during the tough times also helped, when your legs feel like jelly.

“It was also a real boost to have my wife, Rivkah, there, especially in that final four-lap run leg, encouraging me along.”

Rosenbaum does not have a coach nor any sponsorship and said he would be grateful for any expressions of interest from potential sponsors via his Instagram handle, @yrosey.

Also competing in Busselton, in his fifth full-length Ironman, was fellow Melburnian Eli Solowiejczyk, 39, who had placed 346th in last year’s race.

This time Solowiejczyk was unlucky, losing a chunk of time with multiple tyre punctures, but he pressed on to complete the race.

Source: AJN