Arab Israeli swimmer Eyad Shalabi won a gold medal at the Paralympics in Tokyo on Wednesday. The 34-year-old made history by becoming the first Arab to win an Olympic or Paralympic medal for Israel.
He finished first in the 100 meter backstroke with a time of 2:28.04 minutes.
Shalabi, a Muslim from Shefa-‘Amr, near Haifa, is quadriplegic as a result of an accident when he was 13. He was also born deaf.
Shalabi is no stranger to the podium; he won medals at the European Championships in 2018 and 2020.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4qOpWywOQU