2016 Summer Paralympic Games: Israel Wins First Medal; A Look at Uncommon Paralympic Events
Moran Samuel, who is paralyzed from the waist down, wins the first medal for Israel; defies the odds along with other paralympic contenders in the Summer Games.
Moran Samuel defies the odds as she clinches a bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Summer Paralympics Games. Her third place win in the 1,000-meter rowing event is Israel's first medal in the games.
Samuel actually missed her chance to compete in the final round when she placed second in the preliminaries. She had to compete in the event's last chance round and she did this with flying colors. She finished the heat just in time to secure her place at the finals.
Extraordinary talent
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Samuel is indeed very extraordinary. She is paralyzed from her chest to her feet, but despite this, she was able to claim the gold medal in the World Rowing Championships in 2015 for the 1,000-meter event. She is also an Olympian competing in the 2012 Summer Paralympics where she finished fifth overall.
The female rower, as well as all the other paralympic athletes, showed that she can conquer anything despite her condition. She has shown grace under pressure and has remained victorious even over able-bodied athletes in her division.
Uncommon events at the Summer Paralympic Games
There are sporting events that are only played in the Paralympic Games. These may look odd in some way for regular people,but actually these originated from events held during ancient times.
Boccia from Ancient Greece
This is a sporting event that takes from a game of throwing stones in Ancient Greece. What started in the mid-16th century in Italy, this game is played by athletes with cerebral palsy and other types of neurological conditions. The first boccia game was played in the New York/Stoke Mandeville Paralympic Games in 1984.
Boccia is played under four categories. According to the level of disability of the competitor: BC1 is for athletes with cerebral palsy with an aide and BC2 is intended for athletes with cerebral palsy without an aide. BC3 is for competitors with other disability and with cerebral palsy, while BC4 is for competitors with other types of disabilities such as those having muscular dystrophy.
In boccia, players use a ramp or an assistant to throw balls (either red or blue) as close to a white ball. The winner is determined with the number of balls closes to the white ball. At the Rio 2016 games, there are four individual boccia games, two pair games and one team event.
Goalball for visually impaired athletes
Goalball events started in 1946 and were officially played in the Paralympics in Toronto in 1976. Players wear eye covers to completely block their vision and they score goals by throwing balls whether a throw or a bounce. The ball has bells inside to allow the players to hear where it is coming from.
There are men and women events for goalball and Brazil holds the current title after winning the Goalball World Championships in 2014. USA holds the title for women's championships.
