Israel doubles its medal tally

After winning three medals in the first six days of competition at the 2012 Paralympics, Israel doubled its medal tally on Wednesday, claiming two silvers and one bronze in London.

The 45-year-old Doron Shaziri, who carried the Israel flag in the opening ceremony, won Israel’s first silver medal of the Games after recording a score of 1252.4 points in the men’s 50-meter rifle three positions final, finishing in second place behind Jonas Jakobsson of Sweden.

Shaziri, who had a leg amputated below the knee after stepping on a land mine during his army service in Lebanon in 1987, is one of Israel’s most decorated Paralympians and has now won medals in five consecutive Games.

He took two silver medals in Atlanta 1996, a bronze in Sydney 2000, two bronzes in Athens 2004 and a silver in Beijing 2008.

Koby Lion (36) took Israel’s second silver of the day when he ended the 16 kilometer handcycling time trial in second place in a time of 35:53.30 minutes.

Gershony (29) and Weinberg (46) won the delegation’s first medal on Wednesday, claiming the bronze in the Quad wheelchair tennis doubles tournament, defeating Japan’s Shota Kawano and Mitsuteru Moroishi 6-3, 6-1 in an hour and 11 minutes.

Israel is guaranteed at least one more medal from the tennis events, which will see it better its tally of six medals from Beijing, as Weinberg and Gershony, who was injured when his helicopter crashed during the 2006 Lebanon War, will face off in the singles semifinals on Thursday.

The second semi will be played between Americans David Wagner and Nicholas Taylor, with the losers in both semifinals to battle for the bronze medal.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu called the medalists to congratulate them on their sensational achievements.

“You are doing a great job,” Netanyahu told them. “You have the soul of champions.”