The women’s basketball team won a huge semi-final victory over China, which gave it a place in the fight for the gold, where it will face the winner of the match between Brazil and Turkey tomorrow (18:45).
Lihi Ben-David raised Israel to the top in the first half, and Al-Ham Mahmud conquered the victory gate in the second half.
Israel ended the group stage with a balance of one victory and two losses. It started the competition with 4:8 for Brazil, then lost 5:4 to Turkey and was defeated 6 by China, where it retaliated today in the more important game. In the quarter-finals, Israel beat Canada 5-1.
It’s the third appearance of the Blue and White team at the Paralympic Games. In their Rio 2016 debut, they finished fourth in the group stage with a technical victory over Algeria and tied against Japan, but in the quarter-final they were eliminated by Turkey. In Tokyo, 2020, the team was listed in the group stage with victories over Russia and Australia, but was again eliminated in the quarter-finals, this time by Japan.
The team includes talented actresses such as Gal Hamrani, Lihi Ben-David, Roni Ohayon, Noa Malka, Uri Mizrahi and Al-Ham Hamid. This is a branch for visually impaired people and looks like a combination of bowling and handball. Each team consists of six players (three on the field at any given moment) and in turn rolls a ball full of bells on the other side of the field in order to insert it into the opposing goal.
Israel has already pledged 8 medals at the Paralympic Games in Paris, including 3 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze. Among the winners are swimmer Ami Dedon, rower Moran Samuel, Taekwondo fighter and other water swimmers. This is an extraordinary achievement for Israel in these Paralympic games.
