Israel won its first two Paralympic medals of the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games earlier this week: Rower Moran Samuel won a bronze medal in the women’s single sculls competition on Sunday, and sharpshooter Doron Shaziri took the bronze in the men’s 50-meter rifle final on Monday.

Samuel, a former member of the Israeli national women’s basketball team, only took up rowing in 2010, four years after she became paralyzed after suffering a spinal stroke. Despite her late start at rowing, she came in fifth in the 2012 London Olympics and won gold at the World Cup event in Italy.

“An Olympic medal is very sweet. For everyone at home, I wanted to hear the Israeli national anthem on the podium. I gave it all that I had. I knew that I didn’t finish first and it broke my heart a bit but I’m happy to have captured a medal,” Samuel told Ynet.

Shaziri, who captured the gold for shooting at the 2015 Open Championships in Germany, has earned a spot on the medalists’ podium at six consecutive Paralympic Games. Among them are four silver medals, the most recent one at the London Games in 2012, where he bore the Israeli flag at the opening ceremony. He was a sniper in the IDF’s elite Golani Brigade until he lost a leg to a landmine while serving in Lebanon in 1987.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Shaziri, 48, to congratulate him on his achievement. “This is your eighth medal and you succeed on a consistent basis,” he told the athlete. “I’m happy that you proved that the veterans are still going strong – and of course that also goes for the youngsters.”

(via Israel21c)

[Photo: ILTV ISRAEL DAILY / YouTube ]