Erel Halevi

Her family. (ynet.co.il, 06 Sep 2016)

Israeli Para swimming coach Jacob Beninson, Israeli Para swimmer Inbal Pizarro. (emeknews.co.il, 20 Sep 2020; ynet.co.il, 06 Sep 2016)

"The pool and water have become my free place, the place where I can feel free, to reconnect with the changing abilities of my body. Over time water has also become a challenging, competitive place, the place where I can prove to myself every day that I am worthy and able to work hard, persevere and achieve my end goal to prove to myself that I am an athlete." (emeknews.co.il, 20 Sep 2020)

To compete at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (Instagram profile, 27 Mar 2021)

At age 11 she contracted an autoimmune condition which resulted in paralysis. She was initially paralysed from the neck down, but after a year she was able to regain some feeling and learnt to walk with the assistance of crutches. "I was a completely normal girl. I participated in drama, basketball and ballet class. One day I caught a cold, a normal kind of fever. But very quickly the condition deteriorated. One moment I just felt unwell at home, and the next I was hospitalised in intensive care. Very quickly I started rehabilitation in the paediatric rehabilitation department. There was a significant improvement and I was able to regain a lot of functions but, after four months in rehabilitation, I realised that my injury would be permanent." (ynet.co.il, 06 Sep 2016; haaretz.com, 05 Jul 2011)

EARLY STRUGGLES
She has said that swimming helped her overcome mental health issues associated with her acquired impairment at age 11. "At the age of 11 I found myself struggling with rehabilitation and for my independence in things that had been easy before, like dressing alone. I suffered from a negative body image and low self-esteem, and it took a long time until I was content with who I was. What I have learned is that while there is a disability that sometimes limits me, beyond that I must not let anyone and, especially no fear rumbling within me, limit me. I am the one who chooses who I want to be. I create opportunities to realise my dreams and I'm worth no less than anyone else. Every one of us deserves to be in a good place, a place where we are strong and safe. It is clear that swimming and sports played a big part in this whole process for me." (israelhayom.co.il, 25 Nov 2020; emeknews.co.il, 20 Sep 2020)

FEMALE AMBASSADOR
She is an ambassador for Athena, an Israeli government organisation for the promotion of women in sport, and often speaks to girls in schools about body image and sport. "I think swimmers are super beautiful and super sexy. From the moment I started on crutches I had a lot of muscles. All my friends danced ballet, and I had muscles because of the crutches and because I was a swimmer. I won't lie, this caused me to ask a lot of questions about myself growing up. But I felt that muscles made me strong and beautiful and protected me, and today I love how I look. I think a lot of athletes, especially young women, are troubled by this body image. I lecture through the Athena project to groups of girls in schools, and this topic always comes up." (Instagram profile, 27 Mar 2021; davar.co.il, 15 Sep 2019)

NAVY SERVICE
She served in the Israeli Navy as part of her military service. She also volunteered to serve in an intelligence unit in the Israeli Defence Forces. "There was no chance that I would miss my military service. I come from a community where everyone serves in elite units. I grew up with these values, and that also contributed greatly to my life." (emeknews.co.il, 19 Sep 2020; ynet.co.il, 06 Sep 2016)

TOKYO ENGAGEMENT RETHINK
Her partner Ori Pearl had planned to propose to her in Tokyo at the 2020 Paralympic Games. After the Games were postponed, he decided to wait until her 30th birthday in January 2021 to propose instead. (Facebook page, 30 Mar 2021; Instagram profile, 27 Mar 2021)