Ami Omer Dadaon (Hebrew: עמי עומר דדאון; sometimes written Dadon; born 26 December 2000) is an Israeli Paralympic champion and world champion swimmer. He has won four gold medals at the Paralympics, seven gold medals at the World Championships, and nine gold medals at the European Championships. He represented Israel at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Paralympics.
Early life
editDadaon was born in Haifa, Israel. He was born prematurely, and was quadriplegic and had cerebral palsy from birth.[1][2][3] He lives in Kiryat Ata, Israel.[4]
Swimming career
editDadaon started swimming when he was six years old.[1] He began swimming at the Israel Association for Children with Disabilities as rehabilitation therapy.[2] In December 2017, he was awarded the Israeli Sports Award for Young Para Athlete of the Year.[2]
Dadaon made his World Championships debut for Israel in 2019 and won a silver medal in the 150 metre individual medley and a bronze medal in the 200 metre freestyle.[5]
2020 Summer Paralympics
editDadaon represented Israel at the 2020 Summer Paralympics and won gold medals in the 50 metre freestyle S4 and 200 metre freestyle S4, and a silver medal in the 150 metre individual medley SM4 event.[6] He set a world record in the 200 metre freestyle event with a time of 2:44.84.[7]
2022–2023
editDadaon competed at the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships and won gold medals in the 150 metre individual medley, 50 metre freestyle and 200 metre freestyle. He again competed at the 2023 World Para Swimming Championships and won gold medals in the 150 metre individual medley, 50 metre freestyle, 100 metre freestyle and 200 metre freestyle.[1] He set a world record in the 100 metre freestyle event with a time of 1:18.94.[8]
2024 Summer Paralympics
editDadaon represented Israel at the 2024 Summer Paralympics and won a gold medal in the 100 metre freestyle S4.[1] He established a new Paralympic record in the heats with a time of 1:19.33.[1] He said: ""I will sing Hatikvah. That's all I wanted – to represent the people of Israel in this period and to give them hope."[9]
He also won a gold medal in 200 metre freestyle S4, a silver medal in 150 metre individual medley SM4, and a bronze medal in the 50 metre freestyle S4 events.[10] After he won his silver medal following the news that six Israeli hostages had been found dead in Gaza, he said: "It wasn’t an easy day for the people of Israel. It affected me, I live for Israel and for our country. We’re fighting on so many different fronts, but, at least on my own front, I hope I succeeded."[10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e Gurvis, Jacob (30 August 2024). "Ami Dadaon wins Israel's second Paralympics gold medal after setting new record in 100m freestyle". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ a b c Reich, Aaron; Silkoff, Shira (29 August 2021). "Five medals to Israeli Paralympians - Malyar wins second gold". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Ifargan, Stav (18 August 2023). "'When I'm in the water, I'm an elite athlete but when I return to Israel, I'm disabled'". Ynet. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ^ "Ami Omer Dadaon". paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Browne, Ken (13 September 2019). "World Para Swimming Championships London 2019: Day 6 As it happened". olympics.com. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ "Ami Omer Dadaon". Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
- ^ "Israeli swimmers make a splash in Paralympics, win gold, bronze". Israel Hayom. 30 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ Ghermezian, Shiryn (2 August 2023). "Israeli Swimmer Sets New World Record at Para World Championships". Algemeiner Journal. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ Aharoni, Oren; Weissman, Miri (1 September 2024). "WATCH: Israeli swimmer defies cerebral palsy to win Paralympic gold". Israel Hayom. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Israel Shines at the 2024 Paralympics: A Triumph of Strength and Resilience". goodnet.org. 3 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
External links
edit
Media related to Ami Dadaon at Wikimedia Commons
- Ami Omer Dadaon at the International Paralympic Committee
- Ami Omer Dadaon at The-Sports.org
- Ami Dadaon on Instagram
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