Mark Malyar, 19, has never let cerebral palsy keep him down. Training in the pool at the Ilan Sport Center in Haifa, Malyar worked his way to the top.
Last week, he won a gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle swim at the World Para Swimming Allianz Championships in London, in the S7 disability class (limited use of legs). And he did it in 4:33, breaking the previous record of 4:39 set in 2013.
Malyar also won a silver medal in the competition, which attracted some 600 swimmers from approximately 60 countries. He’s been assured a spot in the Paralympic Games in Tokyo next summer.
Joining Malyar on Team Israel for swimming at the 2020 Paralympics will be Ami Dadaon, who won a silver and a bronze medal in the London championships, held September 9-15.
The 2019 World Para Swimming Allianz Championships originally were to take place in Malaysia. When that southeast Asian country announced it would not allow Israeli athletes to compete, officials relocated the competition to London.
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