Paralympic Games: Israeli swimmer Ami Dadaon wins Israel's second gold medal

Israeli swimmer Ami Dadaon claimed the gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris on Friday. The 23-year-old, who is the reigning world champion in the 100-meter freestyle for the S4 disability category, finished the race in 1:20.25 minutes.

The victory marks Israel's second gold medal in Paris, following Asaf Yasur's gold in taekwondo on Thursday.

Dadaon, competing in one of his strongest events, advanced to the 100-meter freestyle final after setting a Paralympic record of 1:19.33 minutes in the qualifiers, finishing 3.47 seconds ahead of Japan's Takayuki Suzuki, who placed second.

Dadaon had previously placed fifth in the 50-meter breaststroke final on Thursday.

In the final, Dadaon dominated from the start, securing Israel's 131st gold medal and 385th overall in Paralympic history.

"It wasn't an easy race for me," Dadaon said afterward. "I was able to represent the people of Israel, I have no words to describe [the feeling]. When I'm in the water, I don't think about anything, only the race. But now I know that I will sing Hatikvah [Israel's national anthem] during this time, that's all I wanted – to represent the people of Israel in this period and to give them hope."

A native of Haifa, Dadaon began swimming at the age of six. He was born with cerebral palsy, which affects all four of his limbs. He joined the senior training team in his teens and won two silver medals at the European Championships when he was 17.

In the lead-up to the Paris Paralympics, Dadaon secured seven gold medals at the World Championships and four more at this year's European Championships.

(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)