The 24 Jewish athletes who comprised the American delegation to the Third Pan-American Maccabiah Games in Lima, Peru returned home Monday laden with gold, silver and bronze medals. The Games were held July 23-29. Robert Rosenberg, of Manhasset, N.Y., past president of the United States Committee Sports for Israel who sponsored the trip and headed the delegation, issued a report of the athletes on the American team who were successful in the various competitions at the Games where 11 nations competed.
In tennis, Larry Davidson of New Rochelle, N.Y., a student at Swarthmore College, was a finalist in the senior competition and gained a silver medal. Nancy Block of Lake Success, N.Y., a member of the American University team, also was a finalist and took down a silver medal. Joy Rabinowitz of Des Moines, Iowa, who just graduated from high school, reached the finals, losing to an Argentinian. Rabinowitz teamed with Block to finish second to Argentina in the tennis doubles, while in the men’s doubles, Davidson, together with Richard Abedon of Tiverton, R.I.,took a third place bronze medal.
In swimming, Susan Grodsky of Timonium, Md., a member of the last U.S. Maccabiah team, swam in three events. She took second in the back stroke and butterfly and won the gold medal in the breast stroke.
In track and field the U.S. athletes took second in the 4100 relay, while Arnold Minkoff of Buffalo University took a first in the 200-meter race and was second in both the 100-meter and the 400-meter races. Dr. Ivan Black, a surgeon at Jewish Memorial Hospital in N.Y., walked off with the gold medal in the Pentathlon, and also came in first in the 100-meter hurdles and tied for second in the high jump.
Among the women participants, Carla Himelman, a high school student from Lincroft N.J., the youngest member of the team, won the silver medal in the 200-meter event and then teamed with three Mexican girls, who were short one performer, to take a gold medal in the 4 100 relay
The basketball team comprised of juniors was thrown in with senior competitors and played for the first time under international rules, which is radically different from the U.S. type of play. Despite the tough opposition the boys, mostly from Jewish Welfare Board Centers throughout the country, lost in overtime 51-50 to a strong Chilean team and were defeated soundly by the number one team in the tournament, Argentina, and then defeated Venezuela 69-52.
Rosenberg reported that during the athletes’ stay in Lima, the officials were received at a reception at the home of Samuel Bajtner, president of Hebraica Peru, and also attended a reception at the home of the Israel Ambassador Michael Michael.
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