Israeli Paralympic swimmer Mark Malyar continued his dominant form on Sunday, bagging a second gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and shattering yet another world record.
Malyar, 21, won the men’s 400-meter freestyle final medley in the SM7 category, stopping the clock at 4:31.06, hereby breaking the world record he himself set in the London World Championship in 2019 (4:33.64).
Ukraine’s Andrii Trusov finished the race in 4:35.56, coming in second, and the USA’s Evan Austin finished in 4:38.95, rounding up the podium trio.
The young Israeli is delivering a fantastic tournament after securing the top prize in the men's 200-meter individual medley final while breaking the world record on Friday.
Over the last two years, Malyar, who has cerebral palsy, spearheaded Israel's excellent Paralympic swimming team and has made a name for himself on the international stage.
He began his road to glory in the 2017 World Championship where he won two bronze medals.
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Malyar showcases his gold medal after winning the men’s 400-meter freestyle final medley in the SM7 category at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics
(Photo: Gettyimages)
Malyar first conquered the top podium spot in the competition's 2019 edition in London where he won the 400-meter freestyle final medley, setting the world record he broke in Tokyo, on top of snagging silver in the 200-meter individual medley.
In 2018, he set the world record in the 800-meter freestyle medley and also previously held the world record in the 1,500-meter freestyle medley.
Earlier this year, he won gold in the 100-meter backstroke medley in the European Championship in Madeira.
Malyar was named Athlete of the Year by the Israeli Paralympic Committee in 2017.
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The Israeli flag hoisted high in Tokyo following Malyar's golden victory
(Photo: Keren Isaacson)
He took up swimming at age five with his twin brother Ariel, who also has cerebral palsy, after both were advised to take up swimming for physical therapy.
With Malyar's two podium walks, Israel has already bagged 5 medals, with the rest won by fellow swimmer Iyad Shalabi and Ami Omer Dadaon, and rower Moran Samuel who won silver in the women’s 2,000-meter single sculls earlier Sunday.