Iyad Shalabi

Iyad Shalabi was born deaf into a Muslim family in Shefa-'Amr, an Arab city in northern Israel. At age 13, a serious accident left him paralyzed, although reports differ in describing the extent of the paralysis as affecting his lower body or all four limbs.[2][3]

Swimming entered his life as part of a lengthy rehabilitation process. His brother, Faraj, said it began once or twice a week simply to help Shalabi move his body and that he found a sense of freedom in the water. Shalabi began swimming at the Haifa rehabilitation center operated by ILAN, the Israel Association for Children with Disabilities.[3]

Faraj said that finding an accessible Olympic-size pool in the Arab sector was difficult and that Shalabi's specialized training required substantial support and investment. As his career developed, his schedule grew to 12 sessions a week, including early-morning and weekend training. His father, Youssef, accompanied him in daily life and at competitions.[3]

Coach Yaakov Binenson took Shalabi on as a personal project, and their work progressed over the years toward world records and international medals.[3] They had worked together for 18 years by the time of Shalabi's Tokyo victories. Because Shalabi is mute, his father and coach communicated with him through sign language during training and competitions.[4]

Shalabi competed at three consecutive Paralympic Games before Tokyo. He finished fourth at both Beijing 2008 and London 2012, narrowly missing the podium, and Rio 2016 was his third appearance.[5][6]

At the international level, he accumulated medals in the years leading up to Tokyo. He won bronze in the 150-meter individual medley at the 2018 European Championships and gold in the 50-meter backstroke at the European Championships held in May 2021.[7] At a 2021 World Cup meet in Sheffield, he set a world record in the 150-meter individual medley, finishing in 4:57.72 and improving his previous record of 5:03.28, set at the 2018 European Championships in Dublin.[5] He was also identified as the world-record holder in that event for his disability classification.[3]

At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, held in 2021, Shalabi won the men's 100-meter backstroke in 2:28.04.[2][8] No preliminary rounds were held because the event had few participants; Anton Kol of Ukraine took silver and Italy's Francesco Bettella won bronze.[7] Shalabi then added a second gold in the men's 50-meter backstroke, recording 1:11.79.[9] The two golds were his first Paralympic medals and came at his fourth Games, when he was 34.[2][1] The 100-meter victory was Israel's first gold medal of the Tokyo Paralympics, its 375th Paralympic medal overall and its 167th Paralympic swimming medal.[8]

After his 100-meter triumph, Shalabi said: "I so wanted it, I believed in my heart that I could succeed and waited for this race. And when I saw that I was first, I felt my heart was bursting."[4] His father told Israeli broadcaster Kan: "For many years he didn't win any medals. Now, thank God, he won a medal — even two medals. We've been waiting for this for many years. [Iyad] is very happy."[10] Recalling the race, Youssef added: "My heart was pounding. When he overtook his competitor, I cried."[2]

At the 2023 World Championships, Shalabi won one silver and one bronze medal.[1] He qualified for what was expected to be his fifth consecutive Paralympic appearance in Paris in 2024 and was regarded as a leading Israeli medal contender.[6] Shortly before the delegation departed, however, he remained in Israel because of his father's deteriorating health and did not compete.[11] Youssef subsequently died, and Shalabi stepped back from competition for more than a year.[12]

Shalabi returned to international competition at the 2025 World Para Swimming Championships, winning bronze in the 100-meter backstroke in 2:40.20.[13][12] The result followed a break of more than a year associated with serious illness and the death of his father, who had been his regular companion at training sessions and competitions and had served as his voice to the outside world.[13][12]

Shalabi had resumed training only shortly before the championships. His podium finish therefore marked both another international medal and a successful return following a profound personal crisis.[12]

Shalabi's Tokyo victories represented a historic breakthrough in Israeli sport. His first gold made him the first Arab Israeli to win a medal at either the Olympic or Paralympic Games, and his second made him the first Arab Israeli to win two Paralympic titles.[2][1]

His career also illustrates the role of sustained rehabilitation and personal support in Paralympic achievement. Swimming began as therapy after a life-altering accident and developed, through years of work with coach Yaakov Binenson and the constant involvement of his father, into a career that included Paralympic gold medals and a world record.[3][4] His bronze medal at the 2025 World Championships extended that career after more than a year away from competition and the loss of his father.[12]