Skip to main content
Breaking NewsInternational NewsIsrael NewsJewish NewsLatest News

Israeli Arab Paraplegic Gave Israel It’s 1st Paralympics Gold Medal

By 08/25/2021 10:06 AMNo CommentsBy YidInfo Staff

Israeli Paralympic swimmer Iyad Shalabi made history for his country Israel on Wednesday.

Shalabi won the 100-meter backstroke final in the S1 category at the Tokyo Paralympics.

Shalabi’s medal is Israel’s first gold medal in this Paralympics and the first won by an Arab Israeli in any Olympic competition.

The 34-year-old Shalabi from the town of Shefaram was born deaf and mute and was left a paraplegic after an accident he suffered when he was 13.

But despite these disabilities, he took up swimming and is now a Paralympics gold in the 100-meter backstroke with a time of 2:28.04.

Yaakov Binenson, Shalabi’s coach, is very happy with the accomplishment of his ward.

Israeli Culture and Sports Minister Chili Tropper also expressed great joy in Shalabi’s victory.

Moreover, Shalabi was also congratulated by Israeli president Yitzchak Herzog, who called him a “champion” and a “symbol of power”.

Sources said Shalabi could be awarded a cash prize of 500,000 shekels ($150,000), like Israel’s other Olympic medalists.

JOIN US ON WHAT'SAPP, TO GET INSTANT STATUS UPDATES AND BE IN THE KNOW.

CLICK HERE
By providing your phone number, you will receive text message updates from Yid-Info. You can opt out at any time by responding STOP.

bobby bracros

Author bobby bracros

More posts by bobby bracros

Leave a Reply