July 15, 2005
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State sophomore distance runner Lital Azulay (Holon, Israel) won a gold medal in the 3,000-meter run at the 17th Maccabiah Games Wednesday in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Azulay finished with a time of 10 minutes, 14.65 seconds, easily outpacing runner-up and fellow Israeli Irina Weingarten (10:36.59).
Azulay recently completed her first season at SDSU after transferring from Coastal Carolina. She recorded season-best times for 2005 in both the 5,000-meters (17:16.08) and 10,000-meters (38:47.18).
Azulay ranks among the Israeli all-time top 10 in many distance events. She is fourth in the 5,000 (17:05.12) and 10,000 (35:39.3), ninth in the marathon (2:52:51) and 10th in the 3,000 (9:56.97). She was also the 2003 Israeli national champion in the 5,000.
The Maccabiah Games, also known as the Jewish Olympics, are held every four years and have grown into the third-largest sporting competition in the world. This year's edition runs from July 10-21, featuring athletes from almost 60 countries competing in over 30 sports.