Israel’s most celebrated Paralympic athlete, 31-year old Keren Leibovitch won three swimming gold medals at the Sydney 2000 Games––50m & 100m freestyles and 100m backstroke.
At the 2004 Athens Paralympics, Leibovitch won the 100m backstroke gold medal, a pair of silver medals in women’s 50m and 100m freestyles, and a bronze medal in the 200m freestyle. She also captured three World Championships titles and five European Championships gold medals.
(While serving in the IDF, a training accident left Leibovitch with a 90% paralysis of her legs. In freestyle events, she is prohibited from making a diving start and has to instead compete at a disadvantage of pushing off the side of the pool.)
