Iyad Shalabi
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| Native name | إياد شلبي | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Israeli | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 16 July 1987 Shefa-Amr, Israel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | freestyle backstroke | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classifications | S1, SM1[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Ilan Rehabilitation and Sports Center[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coach | Yaacov Beininson [2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Iyad Shalabi (or Eyad Shalaby,[5][6] Arabic: إياد شلبي, Hebrew: איאד שלבי; born 16 July 1987) is an Arab-Israeli Paralympic champion swimmer. Representing Israel at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, Shalabi won two gold medals in swimming.
Early life
[edit]Shalabi is a Muslim Israeli-Arab from Shefa-Amr, Israel.[7][8] He is both deaf and paraplegic.[2] He was deaf-mute from birth, and at 13 years of age he became paralyzed in all four limbs in an accident in which he fell from a rooftop, leaving him wheelchair-bound.[9][2][9][10][11] He has a deaf and mute brother.[11]
Swimming career
[edit]He swims at the ILAn (Israel Association for Children with Disabilities) Rehabilitation and Sports Center in Haifa, Israel, and his coach is Yaacov Beininson.[9][2] His father, Yusuf, goes with his mute son to all of his competitions.[12] He competes in disability classification S1, which is for those with the most severe activity limitations.[9]
Shalabi represented Israel in the Beijing 2008, London 2012, and Rio 2016 Paralympics.[13]
In 2017, a documentary entitled Swimming Against the Current was screened at the Jerusalem Film Festival which had been directed and produced by Arab Assel Abu Hjoul.[7] It followed him as he prepared for the World Championships in Glasgow.[7]
Shalabi won a bronze medal in the 150-meter individual medley at the 2018 European Championships.[9] He set the world record in his disability category for the 150-meter medley while winning a gold medal at the 2021 European Championships in England in May 2021.[2][9]
Representing Israel at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, Shalabi won gold medals in swimming at the 100m backstroke S1 event (2:28.04; ahead of Ukrainian silver medalist Anton Kol) and the 50m backstroke S1 event (1:11.79; again ahead of Kol) at 34 years of age.[9][14][15][16][1][17] Shalabi was the first Arab-Israeli citizen to win an individual medal in either the Paralympics or the Olympics.[18] Israeli President Isaac Herzog called him to congratulate him, and also congratulated Shalabi in a tweet, calling him a “champion” and “a symbol of power. We are proud of you for the gold medal. Well done!"[19] Israeli Culture and Sports Minister Chili Tropper wrote: "Iyad is an inspiring man whose life has been full of victories. “And today, another great victory. Iyad ... filled us all with pride. We are proud of you, Iyad Shalabi!"[9] Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also congratulated him in a tweet.[9]
See also
[edit]- Adam Maraana, Arab-Israeli swimmer
- Eduard Meron, Arab-Israeli Olympic weightlifter
- Rifaat Turk, Arab-Israeli Olympic footballer
- Sports in Israel
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Swimming: Shalabi Iyad". Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f [1]
- ^ "Results Archive - Tokyo 2020 - Swimming - Men S 100 M Backstroke S1". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ "Results Archive - Tokyo 2020 - Swimming - Men S 50 M Backstroke S1". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ "Paralympics / London 2012 / Wheelchair Tennis Pair to Fight for Bronze". Haaretz.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b c [2]
- ^ "Israeli Arab swimmer wins gold at Tokyo Paralympics to make history". Jewish News. London. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i [3]
- ^ [4]
- ^ a b [5]
- ^ [6]
- ^ [7]
- ^ [8]
- ^ [9]
- ^ [10]
- ^ Lemon, Geoff (25 August 2021). "Tokyo 2020 Paralympics day one: swimming, cycling, wheelchair rugby and more". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ "Israeli Arab swimmer wins gold at Tokyo Paralympics to make history". Jewish News. London. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ [11]
External links
[edit]
Media related to Iyad Shalabi at Wikimedia Commons
- Iyad Shalabi at Paralympic.org
- Iyad Shalabi at The-Sports.org
- Iyad Shalabi on Facebook
- Living people
- 1987 births
- Arab citizens of Israel
- Deaf swimmers
- Israeli deaf people
- Israeli Muslims
- Israeli male swimmers
- Paralympic swimmers for Israel
- Paralympic gold medalists for Israel
- Paralympic medalists in swimming
- Medalists at the 2020 Summer Paralympics
- Medalists at the World Para Swimming Championships
- Medalists at the World Para Swimming European Championships
- Mute people
- S1-classified para swimmers
- Swimmers at the 2020 Summer Paralympics
- People from Shefa-'Amr
- People with paraplegia
- Sportspeople from Northern District (Israel)