Israeli swimmer Keren Leibowitz brought home three gold medals from the Paralympics in Sydney, breaking world records in each event.
By Simon Griver
Keren Leibowitz's achievements at the Sydney paralympics are all the more remarkable considering the nature of her disability. Six years ago, she injured her back during a training accident while serving in the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), and was left with a 90% paralysis of her legs. This means that during freestyle events she is unable to make the conventional diving start but must push off from the side, leaving her at a considerable disadvantage against her competitors.
"It is the greatest betrayal of all when your own body no longer responds to your commands," explains Leibowitz, who underwent back surgery twice before succumbing to her permanent disability. "But swimming has become my life, and the Paralympics has been the focus for my efforts in recent years."
Leibowitz began her medal haul in the women's 100 meters freestyle with a world record 1:10.25 minutes. The 27 year-old from Hod Hasharon near Tel Aviv followed this success by winning gold in the 100 meters backstroke with another world record of 1:18.60 minutes. On the final day of events, she also took gold in the 50 meters freestyle with a third world record of 31.85 seconds.
Israel first competed in the second Paralympics at Stoke Mandeville in England, and over the years became one of the leading nations in promoting sports for the disabled. In the 1960 games in Rome, Israel won 29 medals including eight gold. Over the years competition has become more intense as many other countries followed Israel's lead in allocating resources to the disabled in general, and rehabilitation through sport in particular. However, Israel remained high on the league tables, winning 14 medals at Seoul in 1988, 12 at Barcelona in 1992 and nine at Atlanta in 1996.
Out of a total of some 4,000 men and women from 128 countries taking part in the Paralympic Games this year, 35 athletes represented Israel, winning a total of six medals. Ze'ev Glickman, an IDF veteran who was injured in 1979 while on active duty, took the silver medal in table tennis, repeating his achievement at the Atlanta Paralympics in 1996. Doron Shaziri, who won the silver medal in the rifle shooting competition, trains at Beit Halohem in Tel Aviv, one of three state-of-the-art country club-cum-sports rehabilitation centers for disabled IDF veterans in Israel, of which Leibowitz is also a member. In the long jump, 26-year-old Yogev Kenzi took the bronze medal with a leap of 6.63 meters. Kenzi is a member of Ilan, Ramat Gan, a sports center founded in the early 1950s which specializes in the rehabilitation of polio victims. Along with Beit Halohem, Ilan has since become one of the world's leading centers for rehabilitation of the disabled through sport.