Rower Moran Samuel seized silver in the women’s 2,000-meter single sculls at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games on Sunday, bringing Israel's medal count to four.
The Israeli Paralympian clocked in at 11:18.39, finishing behind Norway's Birgit Skarstein who won gold and ahead of France's Nathalie Benoit who will go home with the bronze.
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Moran Samuel celebrates after winning silver in the women’s 2,000-meter single sculls at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games on Sunday
(Photo: Lilach Weiss)
President Isaac Herzog called Samuel after the final to congratulate her.
"We really admire you, the woman that can do anything, a true superwoman. Good luck down the road, we are very proud of you. See you at the President's Residence," he said.
Samuel, 39, grew up in the northern city of Karmiel, where she began playing basketball. After her military service, she played on the women's national basketball team until she suffered a spinal stroke in 2006 and became paralyzed in her lower body.
After a long recovery, she worked with the Paralympic Sports Association on the re-establishment of the women's basketball team on wheelchairs.
In 2010, Samuel took up rowing and represented Israel at the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games in London where she finished fifth. She took home a bronze medal in Rio five years ago, and another bronze at the 2019 World Rowing Championships in Ottensheim, Austria.
Samuel became Israel's fourth Paralympian medalist in Tokyo after swimmers Mark Malyar, Iyad Shalabi and Ami Omer Dadaon.
Malyar, 21, won the men’s 200-meter individual medley final in the SM7 category last Friday, shattering the world record at 2:29.01.
On Sunday, he finished first in the men’s 400-meter freestyle round (4:41.82) and advanced to the finals.
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Mark Malyar showcasing his gold medal after winning the men’s 200-meter individual medley final in the SM7 category at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games last Friday
(Photo: Lilach Weiss)
On Saturday, Dadaon won a silver medal in the men’s 150-meter individual medley and finished second in the SM4 category, stopping the clock at 2:29.48.
Shalabi won the 100-meter backstroke in the S1 category on Wednesday, becoming the first Arab Israeli to bag a medal in either the Paralympics or the Olympics.