The Daniel Rowing Center reported that Israel's rowing team marked another international achievement on Saturday when its quad boat team crossed the finish line third, stopping the clock on 7:30.23 minutes and winning the bronze medal.
In the competition held in Poznan, Ukraine, Ukraine finished the 2,000 meters first at 7:25.12 minutes and France finished second, 3.47 seconds ahead of Israel.
Rowing for Israel were Shay-Lee Mizrahi, Barak Hazor, Achiya Klein and Simona Goren, coxed by Leah Sass.
The team trains alternately at the Gavirate Lake, Italy, and at the Daniel Rowing Center in Tel Aviv.
According to Goren, "This was the first major race for this crew at the current structure. There's plenty to work on, buy the sync and power distribution in the boat were good."
"We gave 100%, taking to our top performance yet, and we're looking forward to the World Championships in September in Florida. There's a long way to go in improving technique and time - it'll be the most important event of the year."
Dima Margolin, who coaches the paralympic squad at the Daniel Rowing Centre, said, "Conditions were dire – winds, rain, cold – but that's the sport, and we need to be prepared to fight in any situation."
"We raced the French and Ukraine teams last month in Italy, knew they were stronger, but proved we're closing the gap. Teamwork is improving, we're aspiring for the Tokyo 2020 games, and much work is still required."
One of the victorious crew members is IDF Lieutenant Achiya Klein, who was blinded in 2013 in an operation against Hamas terror tunnels at the Gaza border. Klein began training as a high-performance athlete at the Daniel Rowing Center two tears after his injury.
Earlier in Saturday's World Cup, Israeli rower Shmuel Daniel beat Polish champion Leszek Niewiarowski at the Final C, finishing 13th in the Men's Paralympic Single Scull category.
Moran Samuel, Rio Medalist and World Champion, had to cancel her participation, in favor of an elbow injury rehab. She hopes to arrive in full steam at the World Championships in Sarasota USA, end of September.
