Meet Israel's Paralympians who'll be led into Paris Games by a survivor of 7/10

After Israel’s Olympic delegation returned from Paris with a record medal haul, attention turns next week to its 28-strong Paralympic squad.

Among the 170 competing nations will be 14 men and 14 women from the Jewish state competing across handcycling, badminton, boccia, rowing, taekwondo, tennis, goalball, kayaking, shooting, and swimming. They include Muslim and Druze competitors and a survivor of the Hamas attacks last October – who will be Israel’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony.

Several of the Israelis took part in the Rio and Tokyo Paralympics and were medal winners — and some of the athletes became Paralympic hopefuls after being injured in combat service with the IDF.

But two of the Israeli tennis medal hopefuls became prominent in their sport after accidents.

Adam Berdichevsky pic Keren Izaakson

Wheelchair tennis athlete Adam Berdichevsky, 41, is taking part in his third Paralympic Games. He lost his leg during a trip to Thailand in 2007, when the ferry he was travelling on, capsized. He fell into the water, but his leg became entangled in the boat’s engine and was severed. After rehabilitation, he began playing tennis, won the Israeli Championship six times, represented the country six times at World Championships with the team, and has won 21 titles in international tournaments and 13 in doubles.

Once ranked 20th in the world, Adam is currently ranked 41st. The October 7 war nearly shattered his dream of reaching Paris. Adam, his wife, and their three children, spent 14 hours in the safe room of their home in Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, aware of what was happening outside and fearing that the terrorists might come to them at any moment. Eventually they were rescued and evacuated, along with other residents, to Eilat.

Adam said: “This year has been, and still is, unbearable. I went abroad for six months, travelled the world in competitions six months behind all other competitors, and despite that, I managed to meet the qualification criteria. One reason is the strong desire to represent the country during these times, and the support from my family.”

Guy Sasson, pic Liliach Weiss Rosenberg

Guy Sasson, also a tennis player, plays in a different category from Adam — and will be in Paris fresh from his triumph at winning the wheelchair quads singles cup at the capital’s Roland Garros tournament in June. Aged 44, Sasson was injured in a freak winter snowboarding accident in 2015. He grew up in Ramat Gan, served in the Israel Defence Forces, attended the University of Michigan, and went into business, particularly in real estate and property management.

He recalled: “They flew me to Tel Hashomer Hospital in Israel, I had major surgery on my spine and hand, and the doctors told me I wouldn’t walk again”. But after a year in rehab, Sasson did walk out—“with braces and canes.”

Keen to stay active, he contacted the Israel ParaSport Centre in Ramat Gan. After seeing the tennis facilities and learning that Ofri Lankri, who played on Israel’s 2014 Fed Cup team, would be serving as a coach, Sasson, who played tennis when he was a child, became interested. He started slowly and without sharing the news with others. “At first, I didn’t tell anyone—not even my wife.” Guy dedicated his Roland Garros win to the remaining hostage in Gaza.

Maayan Zikri pic Lilach Weiss Rosenberg

Another tennis medal hopeful is Maayan Zikri, aged 21. She was seriously injured during a family vacation at an amusement park in the Netherlands, and lost a leg. As part of her rehabilitation, she started training in basketball and later in tennis. Today, over 10 years after the accident, she has made her way to the top of the world tennis rankings. Maayan was ranked third in the world in the junior para-tennis category and was previously ranked 19th in the world as an adult. She has won titles in nine Futures tournaments, and holds 11 titles in doubles.

She says: “It has been a rather tough year full of cruelty, but also full of ups and incredible experiences. Without the team that supports me, I wouldn’t have been able to reach and fulfil one of my biggest dreams. So I am grateful for the support and the work with each one of them.”

Julia Chernoy

Julia Chernoy, 41, is tipped for a medal in the shooting category — though she began her sporting career in sailing. She was born with a disability which makes it difficult for her to walk and so she uses a cane. She only began training as a Para triathlete aged 30, and won a European championship in 2012. She took part in the Rio Games in 2016 with partner Reuven Magnany, switching to the very different discipline of shooting after the Rio Paralympics concluded.

Swimmer Ami Dadon won two gold medals in Tokyo and at just 23 years old is tipped for more success in Paris.

Mark Malyar

Joining him in the swimming category are former Tokyo medallists Mark Malyar (two gold medals), and Iyad Shalabi, who also won two gold in Tokyo. Iyad, 37, comes from the Arab-Israeli town of Shfar’am and was deaf and mute from birth. He was paralysed due to a fall and is now accompanied everywhere by his father, Yusuf, who is his primary carer.

And the entire goalball squad, which includes a Muslim competitor, are also heavily backed to be medal winners in Paris.

Asaf Yasur, the current Taekwondo world champion, is also the focus of Israeli hopes. In an accident when he was playing football with friends, aged 13, the ball was kicked into an electric company installation and Asaf, trying to retrieve the ball, was electrocuted and lost both arms above the elbow.

Asaf Yasur pic Israeli Taekwondo

Asaf, who lives in northern Israel, decided to concentrate on Taekwondo because he could use his legs. But the Israeli public who read about his determination raised raised NIS 1 million in donations (at the time approximately $250,000) for him to be fitted with two prosthetic bionic arms, that he controls through brain signals.

Rower Moran Samuel was a bronze medallist in Rio in 2016 and won silver in her category in Tokyo in 2020.

Paracanoeist Talia Eilat , 25, was a dancer, whose journey to the Paralympics was shaped by a spinal aneurysm sustained during her late teenage years.

She lives in Herzliya. Six years ago a blood vessel burst in her spinal cord, leaving her paralysed from the waist down.

Talia Eilat
Pic: Oded Carni

After rehabilitation in Italy it was suggested that she should try kayaking. She fell in love with the sport and now says she dances on the water.

Irene Shafir, a doctor specialising in family medicine, was a last-minute addition to the delegation and is a canoeist. She was seriously injured five years ago while performing an acrobatics routine by the Yarkon River.

She searched for a sport which allowed her to leave her wheelchair and experience the open air. She did not think she had qualified for Paris and was “simply speechless” when she received a phone call telling her she had made the team.

Irene Shafir

The chairman of the Paralympic Committee, Moshe Mutz Matalon, said: “Our delegation is of high quality and represents all segments of Israeli society. It includes Jews, Muslims, and Druze, has an equal number of men and women, veterans and new immigrants, experienced athletes and athletes for whom this is their first time in the Paralympic Games. I would like to thank again the clubs, coaches, and all the professional support surrounding the athletes. Thanks also to the commercial companies supporting us – without all of these, we would not have been able to assemble such a worthy delegation. Good luck to everyone in Paris.”

The Israeli squad:

BADMINTON

AMIR LEVI

NINA GORODEZKY

BOCCIA

NADAV LEVI

HAND CYCLING

AMIT HASDAI

PARA CANOE

TALIA EILAT

IRENE SHAFIR

GOALBALL