Ayala Malchan-Katz (born 1949) is an Israeli Paralympic athlete. Between the years 1968-1988 she participated in six Paralympic competitions and won 13 medals, of which 5 were gold.

Life

Katz fell ill at the age of three months with polio which affected her lower limbs. For nine years she was treated in a hospital in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

and at the age of nine she returned to her parents' home in

Rosh HaAyin Rosh HaAyin ( he, רֹאשׁ הָעַיִן, lit="fountainhead", , ar, روش هاعين) is a city in the Central District of Israel. To the west of Rosh HaAyin is the fortress of Antipatris and the source of the Yarkon River. To the southeas ...

. As part of her medical rehabilitation, she began competing in disabled sports and participated in swimming, fencing and wheelchair basketball competitions. Katz lives in Petah Tikva and is the head of the municipal framework of the national program "Accessible Community" which works to implement a law of equal rights for people with disabilities.

Career

At the

1968 Summer Paralympics The 1968 Summer Paralympics ( he, המשחקים הפאראלימפיים בקיץ 1968) were the third Paralympic Games to be held. Organised under the guidance of the International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation (ISMGF), they were known as th ...

, she won a gold medal in women's wheelchair basketball and a bronze medal in Women's Novices Foil. She competed in Women's Shot Put C, Women's Discus Throw C, Women's Javelin C, Women's Novices 60 meters B, Women's Slalom B, Women's Club Throw C, and Women's 50 m Backstroke Class 3 incomplete. At the 1972 Summer Paralympics, she competed in Women's 60 meters Wheelchair 3, Women's Slalom 3, and Women's 50 m Backstroke 3. She won a gold medal as a member of the women's fencing team and a bronze medal with the Israeli wheelchair basketball team. At the

1976 Summer Paralympics The 1976 Summer Paralympics (french: Jeux paralympiques d'été de 1976), branded as Torontolympiad – 1976 Olympiad for the Physically Disabled, was the fifth Paralympic Games to be held. They were hosted by Toronto, Ontario, Canada, from 4 t ...

, she won a gold medal in Women's Foil Novice Team, and bronze medal in Women's Foil Individual 2-3. At the

1980 Summer Paralympics The 1980 Summer Paralympics ( nl, Paralympische Zomerspelen 1980), branded as the Olympics for the Disabled, were the sixth Summer Paralympic Games. They were held in Arnhem, Netherlands, from 21 to 30 June 1980. Background The Soviet Union, h ...

, she won a gold medal in women's individual foil and a silver medal in Women's Foil Team. At the

1984 Summer Paralympics The 1984 International Games for the Disabled, canonically the 1984 Summer Paralympics were the seventh Paralympic Games to be held. There were two separate competitions: one in Stoke Mandeville, England, United Kingdom for wheelchair athletes ...

, she won a silver medal in women's wheelchair fencing foil team. At the

1988 Summer Paralympics The 1988 Summer Paralympics () were the first Paralympics in 24 years to take place in the same city as the Olympic Games. They took place in Seoul, South Korea. This was the first time the term "Paralympic" was used officially. Bidding proc ...

, she won a bronze medal in Women's Foil Team. She competed in Women's Wheelchair Basketball.

References