Nati Gruber
Photo: Reuben Schwartz
Gruber injured just before Paralympics
Israel's championship handcyclist suffers fractures in ribs, shoulder from collision with police car on streets of Beijing just one day before first Paralympics tournament, forcing him to drop out of race
It was a sad day for the Israeli delegation to the Beijing 2008 Games. Nati Gruber, who was supposed to compete in the Paralympics handcycling tournament for the first time on Friday, was injured in an accident with a police car in the Chinese capital. He is currently being treated for fractures in his ribs and shoulder.
Gruber was scheduled to compete in a stopwatch race on Friday, and then in a road race on Sunday, but after four years of intensive training he will have to give up his dream of a medal.
Gruber. Dreams of medal shattered (Photo: Roni Sofer)
Gruber is 38 years old and makes his living running an internet website. He began to handcycle after being seriously injured in a traffic accident nine years ago.
The accident occurred when a driver, disobeying a red light, hit Gruber while he was riding his motorcycle, shattering his left hip. Even after undergoing a series of surgical treatments, Gruber remained paralyzed.
Gruber, who belongs to 'Etgarim', the Israeli association for the disabled, would have been the first Israeli ever to compete in the Paralympics handcycling championship, an event that made its first official appearance in the Games in 2004.
Gruber has also been Israel's handcycling champ for a number of years. He competed in the European championship, in which he came in fourth, and in the global championship, in which he ranked seventh. The Beijing Games would have seen him compete in a 50 km race, his longest so far.
