Australian masters swimmer Alida Lipton has produced a stunning 10-from-10 medal haul at the 22nd Maccabiah Games, winning a medal in every event she entered.
The Victorian finished with one gold, six silver and three bronze medals, completing a remarkable return to the Maccabiah pool after major shoulder surgery and two heart procedures since the previous Games.
The clean sweep also settled some unfinished business from 2022.
“At the last Maccabiah I won nine medals and missed out on the tenth by just 0.06 of a second, so this time I wanted to go one better,” Lipton said.
She struck gold in the mixed 4×50-metre medley relay, competing alongside three Canadian swimmers in a composite Commonwealth team.
Lipton added silver medals in the mixed 4×50-metre freestyle relay and the women’s 4×50-metre medley and freestyle relays.
Competing in the women’s 55-59 age group, she also won individual silver in the 100-metre breaststroke, 200-metre breaststroke and 100-metre freestyle.
Bronze medals followed in the 50-metre freestyle, 50-metre breaststroke and 50-metre butterfly.
The butterfly result was particularly satisfying because it was a new event for Lipton.
“I had never competed in the 50-metre butterfly before, so winning a medal in that event was especially satisfying,” she said.
Lipton continued preparing for the Games despite uncertainty about whether an Australian delegation would travel to Israel.
“I kept training even when it was uncertain whether the Australian team would travel,” she said.
“I love training, I love keeping fit, and I was determined to be ready.”
Australia eventually sent a small delegation of 14 athletes and officials.
“There are only 14 of us in the Australian team, but we are here and we are representing our country,” Lipton said.
Her success came more than four decades after she first represented Australia at the Maccabiah.
“I am just about to turn 59 and I am looking forward to celebrating my birthday in Jerusalem,” she said.
“This is my fifth Maccabiah. My first was in 1981, when I was 13 years old.”
Lipton swam competitively as a child but stepped away from the sport in her early teens.
“I was a swimmer until I was 14, then I did not swim competitively for about 40 years,” she said.
Her return to the pool was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but she kept on swimming despite the challenges.
“At one point I thought, if I am going to do this, now is the time,” Lipton said.
Maccabi Victoria described her campaign as an extraordinary achievement and an example of the impact women continue to make in sport.
Lipton has also made a major contribution outside the pool.
She became the first female president of AJAX Football Club in 2022 and is now the club’s immediate past president. She has also been involved with AJAX Swimming Club and managed Australian teams at previous Maccabiah Games.
“I feel very passionate about sport and about Maccabi,” she said.
“It has been a big part of my life.”
Lipton was not the only Victorian athlete to reach the podium.
Australian flag bearer Sam Parasol won bronze in table tennis while competing at his 10th Maccabiah. Parasol, a member of the Maccabi Victoria Hall of Fame, has represented Australia across several decades and carried the national flag at the opening ceremony in Jerusalem.
Barry Lipp delivered another major medal haul, winning four gold medals and one silver.
Lipp took gold in the duathlon, half marathon, cycling time trial and overall MaccabiMan competition. He also won silver in the open-water swim.
Together, Lipton, Parasol and Lipp won 16 medals, with Lipton leading the tally through a perfect return from her 10 swimming events.