Drake University sophomore Gal Arad has turned his successful debut season at Drake into a strong summer on the international stage.
 
Competing for his native Israel, Arad has turned heads in a pair of European competitions.
 
Arad opened the summer by earning bronze in the men's 200 meters at the Balkan Championships and then ran the anchor leg of Israel's 4x100-meter relay that also took bronze.
 
Last week, he continued his season at the U23 European Championships in Tallinn, Estonia.
 
Arad advanced out of the preliminary heats of the 200 meters into the semifinals. He finished sixth in his semifinal heat with a personal best time of 21.01 to narrowly miss advancing to the finals. His semifinal time was the sixth-fastest in the semifinal field. However, five of the finalists advanced out of his heat. The other three advanced by finishing in the top three of the slower second heat.
 
During his freshman season at Drake, Arad finished second in the 200 meters and third in the 100 meters at the Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Championships. His performance in his first MVC Outdoor Championship earned him MVC Freshman of the Year honors. He is just the second Bulldog to earn the award.
 
Arad is one of two Bulldogs making history on the international stage this summer. His teammate, Yinka Mary Ajayi, is a member of the Nigerian Olympic Team in their 4x400-meter pool. She is the first female Drake track & field athlete to be an Olympian and the first Bulldog track & field talent to compete in the Olympics since 1960.