Moran Samuel
Personal information
NationalityIsraeli
Born (1982-04-24) 24 April 1982
Karmiel, Israel
EducationPhysiotherapy
Alma materUniversity of Haifa, Israel
OccupationAthlete
SpouseWife Limor Samuel Goldberg[1]
Sport
Country Israel
SportRowing
DisabilityPR1
ClubDaniel Rowing Centre [Tel Aviv, ISR]
Coached byPaola Grizzetti [personal], ITA
Achievements and titles
Paralympic finalsWinning silver in the arms only single sculls at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo
World finalsthe 2015 Para Athlete of the Year by World Rowing
Medal record
Women's rowing
Representing  Israel
Paralympic Games
Silver medal – second place2020 TokyoASW1x
Bronze medal – third place2016 Rio de JaneiroASW1x
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2015 AiguebeletteASW1x
Silver medal – second place2014 AmsterdamASW1x
Silver medal – second place2017 SarasotaPR1W1x
Silver medal – second place2018 PlovdivPR1W1x
Bronze medal – third place2011 BledASW1x
Bronze medal – third place2019 OttensheimPR1W1x
World Rowing Cup
Gold medal – first place2015 VareseASW1x
Bronze medal – third place2011 MunichASW1x
Bronze medal – third place2016 PoznańASW1x
European Championships
Silver medal – second place2023 BledPR1W1x

Moran Samuel[2] (Hebrew: מורן סמואל; April 24, 1982) is an Israeli paralympic basketball player and world champion rower. She was chosen to light a ceremonial torch on Israel's Independence Day in 2019.[1] She represented Israel at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.

Early life

Samuel grew up in Karmiel, Israel, to a Jewish family. She began playing basketball in her hometown. During her military service in the Israeli Air Force,[3] she was an outstanding athlete enrolled in a program that permits top athletes to complete their mandatory service while representing the country in sports as well; after her service, she played on the Israel women's national basketball team. In 2006, she suffered a spinal stroke[4] and became paralyzed in her lower body. After she recovered, she completed her academic studies at Haifa University and became a physical therapist, and then worked with the Paralympic Sports Association team on the re-establishment of the Israeli women's basketball team on wheelchairs.

Sports career

Basketball

Samuel in 2016

Playing with the national women's basketball team, she qualified for the European Wheelchair Basketball Championship, held in Nazareth in 2011, and simultaneously joined the Beit HaLohem[3] team in Tel Aviv, with Samuel being the sole woman in an all-male team.[5] Beit LaLohem won the double championship in 2011. In 2013, she played for Israel at the European Wheelchair Basketball Championship in Frankfurt, with the team finishing in the seventh place overall. At this competition, she was voted one of the five best players in Europe titled "All Star Team".[6]

Rowing

She switched to Para rowing because she wanted to represent Israel at the Paralympic Games.[1]

As part of her paralympic sport activities, and as suggested by her life partner, also a rower,[4] she started to train in rowing in 2010 and represented Israel at the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games in London, finishing fifth. Earlier that year, she won a race in single scull competition at the Adaptive Rowing Regatte in Gavirate, Italy,[7] but the organizers did not have a copy of the Hatikva, Israel's national anthem; she asked for the microphone and sang it instead. In 2015, she won the gold medal at the World Cup event in Lake Varese,[8] defeating the reigning world champion, Norwegian rower Birgit Skarstein.

At the 2015 World Rowing Championships held in Lac d'Aiguebelette, France, she won the gold medal in the women's AS single sculls,[9] thus earning a spot at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.[10] Also, she received the bronze medal in June 2016 at the World Rowing Cup in Poznań.[11]

Samuel took part in the torch lighting ceremony at the 2017 Maccabiah Games in July 2017.[12]

Samuel won the silver medal in the arms only single sculls at the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo.(August 29, 2021)[13] It was after setting her personal best record in the repechage the day before.[1]

Personal life

She is a lesbian.[14] She and her wife have 2 children.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Athletics SAMUEL Moran". Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. 2021-08-24. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  2. ↑ World Rowing. "Moran Samuel". Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  3. 1 2 Moran Samuel: Paralympic rower, part-time basketball champ. Jerusalem Post
  4. 1 2 Tales of tragedy, trauma and inspiration behind Israel’s Paralympic medal hopes. Times of Israel timesofisrael Retrieved 17 August 2021
  5. ↑ Moran Samuel. WIZO
  6. ↑ Llegó el final del Campeonato de Europa BSR. ¡¡¡SOMOS BRONCE!!! Crónica. Archived 2016-08-21 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
  7. ↑ Champion rower can sing, too. Times of Israel
  8. ↑ "Israeli paralympic rower Moran Samuel wins gold medal at World Cup". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  9. ↑ "Moran Samuel named Female Athlete of the Year at Israeli Paralympic Committee annual awards". www.insidethegames.biz. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  10. ↑ "Moran Samuel clinches right to represent Israel in Rio; goes for Worlds medal". Archived from the original on 27 December 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  11. ↑ "Sport Week: Samuel balances motherhood, training". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  12. ↑ "Ervin, Gilot To Participate In Torch Lighting At Maccabiah Games". SwimSwam. 17 June 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  13. ↑ "Rowing - Final A Results". Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. 2021-08-29. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  14. ↑ "Israeli lesbian rower set for Paralympics". 5 September 2016.
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