Israeli shooter Doron Shaziri earned Israel its third silver medal of the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.
Shaziri, who won two bronze medals in Athens in 2004, finished second Wednesday in the men’s R7-50m free rifle 3×40 SH1.
Shaziri, a former sniper for the Israeli army, lost a leg in Lebanon in 1987 after stepping on a mine while carrying a wounded soldier on a stretcher. He is coached by Olympic shooter Guy Starik and makes sports wheelchairs as a profession.
“I’m satisfied even though I was hoping for more,” Shaziri said after the final.
In other results Wednesday involving Israelis, swimmer Keren Leibovitch finished fourth in the women’s 100-meter backstroke-S8 class final Wednesday in a time of 1:21.34 minutes, just shy of a medal. One of Israel’s most celebrated Paralympians, Leibovitch won three medals in each of the last two Games, four of them gold. While serving in the Israel Defense Forces, a training accident left her with 90 percent paralysis of her legs.
Rower Eli Nawi won his repechage race in the men’s single sculls class A event and qualified for Thursday’s final.
The Israeli men’s wheelchair basketball team lost to Australia, 66-59, after leading most of the game. Australia scored the last seven points in the final two minutes. Israel will face Great Britain on Thursday. A victory would enable the Israelis to avoid playing defending gold medalist Canada in the quarterfinals.
Israeli tennis player Ilanit Fridman lost in the second round of women’s wheelchair tennis singles-open class. Tennis player Shraga Weinberg fell in the men’s singles quad quarterfinals to the world’s top-ranked player, David Wagner of the United States, 6-2, 6-2. Weinberg and partner Boaz Kramer won their mixed doubles-quad quarterfinal match in straight sets.
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