Israel win second medal at Rio Paralympics

Israel claimed their second bronze medal of the 2016 Rio Paralympics on Monday evening when Doron Shaziri finished third in the Men’s R7-50m Rifle 3 Positions – SH1 event.

Reaching the final by finishing the qualifying heat in fourth place, he finished a further place higher in the final, as he registered 437.5 points.

The eighth Paralympics medal the 49-year-old – four silver and four bronze – he has now won at least one medal in the last six Games, dating back to the 1996 Atlanta Games.

He said: “There’s no such thing as a sure medal. I had a pretty mediocre year until today. This was my best competition of the year and I’m happy it came at the right time.”

And saying how he hopes to add to his tally at the 2020 Games in Tokyo, he added: “I have always said that I will continue for as long as I can, as far as I’m concerned, I can see myself competing in another Paralympics.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also congratulated Shaziri over the phone. He told him: “Congratulations Doron, you were on target. This is your eighth medal and you succeed on a consistent basis. I’m happy that you proved that the veterans are still going strong – and of course that also goes for the youngsters.”

He is also involved in the Mized R6-50m Rifle Prone – SH1 event, which gets underway on Wednesday.

His won is Israel’s second of the Games, following on from Moran Samuel’s bronze win in the rowing on Sunday.