ByDanny Caro, Danny Caro
1 min read
Moran Samuel earned Israel its first medal of the 2016 Rio Paralympics after claiming bronze in the AS Women's Singles Sculls.
One of Israel's top medal hopes, Moran delivered on Sunday after reaching the final as runner-up in her heat 5:21.36, which saw her qualify for the repechage.
She won her next race to reach the A final where she crossed the line in third place with a time of 5.17.46 behind the victorious Rachel Morris of Great Britain and China’s Lili Wang.
Reflecting on her performance, Moran said: “A Paralympic medal is so sweet, I really wanted to win a gold medal and to play the national anthem in Rio, but I gave everything I could.
“I left everything out there but there were better rowers than me today, I came a long way with coach Paula Grizzetti and now I have a bronze medal to go with my son who is named Arad (bronze in Israel).
Moran placed fifth in the London Paralympics four years ago and she was delighted with her podium finish. "I started off really well and the conditions were in my favour in the first half of the final.
"Unfortunately, I’m carrying an injury in my left hand over the past six months and the wind here forced me to work really hard with my left hand.
It got really tired and I couldn’t use it at the end of the race.”