Alon Mandel

Alon Mandel was born in 1988 in Columbus

Alon Mandel was born on 23 August 1988 in the United States and grew up in Netanya. He began swimming at age 6 with the Hapoel Emek Hefer club. He first swam backstroke and set youth records at 50 and 100 meters.

In 2006 he was recognized as an athletic prodigy and postponed his army service to study chemical engineering at the University of Michigan. He trained with the university swim team alongside Michael Phelps and switched his main stroke to butterfly. He later earned two master's degrees from Tel Aviv University, in environmental engineering and in political science.

In 2008 he qualified for the Beijing Olympics after a rival from Greece was suspended for banned substances. His father was killed in an accident at home just before the Games, and Mandel chose to compete. He set Israeli records in the 200 and 100 meter butterfly there.

In 2009 he won gold in the 100 meter butterfly at the Maccabiah Games with a Games record. He also set Israeli records at the Universiade in Belgrade and the World Championships in Rome. In Israel he swam for Maccabi Kiryat Bialik and Hapoel Dolphin Netanya.