Shahar Milfelder

Israeli paralympic rower

Shahar Milfelder
שחר מילפלדר

Personal information

Born

(1997-09-17) 17 September 1997 (age 26)
Beit Yitzchak, Israel

Sport

Country

Israel

Sport

Rowing

Disability class

PR2

Event

Double sculls

Club

Beit Halochem

Partner

Saleh Shahin

Coached by

Dmitry Margolin and Sergey Bokarib

Achievements and titles

World finals

2023 World Rowing Championships, first in the PR2 Mixed Double Sculls Final B

Medal record

Representing Israel

Pararowing
Paralympic Games
	2024 Paris	PR2 mixed double sculls

Shahar Milfelder (שחר מילפלדר; born 17 September 1997)^[1] is an Israeli Paralympic medalist rower. She competed for Israel at the 2024 Paris Paralympics in the PR2 mixed double sculls and won the bronze medal with her rowing partner Druze-Israeli Saleh Shahin.

Early life

Milfelder grew up in Moshav Beit Yitzchak in Israel.^[2] At the age of 15, she was diagnosed with a rare and violent bone cancer, and at the time was the only patient in Israel who suffered from it.^[2] She went to a hospital in New Jersey in the United States for radiation therapy, but the tumor returned after her treatments.^[2] She then underwent a 16-hour operation in a Manhattan hospital, in which half of her pelvis was removed.^[2] Initially, she had a special brace so she could walk with a walker, but in time she switched to crutches, and she now can move around with one crutch.^[2] She moved to Tel Aviv to be close to her training facility.^[2]

She later volunteered for the Israel Defense Forces, and served for five years as a simulator instructor and officer in the Israeli Air Force.^[2]

Rowing career

Milfelder's club is Beit HaLohm Tel Aviv, and she trains at the Daniel Rowing Center with Dima Margolin and Sergi Bokarib.^[2]

Her rowing partner is Druze-Israeli Saleh Shahin, who is 15 years older than she is, and was injured while fighting terrorists on the Gaza border.^[2] At the 2019 World Rowing Cup III, they won a gold medal in the PR3 Mixed Double Sculls (FA). At the 2023 World Rowing Championships, they came in first in the PR2 Mixed Double Sculls Final B. At the 2024 World Rowing Final Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta in Switzerland, they won a silver medal in the PR2 Mixed Double Sculls and qualified for the 2024 Paralympics.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]

2024 Paris Paralympics; bronze medal

They competed at the 2024 Paris Paralympics in the PR2 mixed double sculls, and won the bronze medal, with a time of 8:31.85, 13 seconds behind gold medalist Great Britain.^[7]^[8]^[9] Milfelder, speaking of the families of the six newly confirmed dead hostages, said: "We had in mind to give pride to the country. I cried in the morning from the hard news, and now I cry from the good news, and send the biggest hug I can to the families of the abducted and to all the citizens of the State of Israel."^[10]

References

^ "Milfelder Shahar". Olympics.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Dotan Malach (August 28, 2024). "Saleh Shahin and Shahar Milfeder dream of bringing a medal together," Makor Rishon.
^ Oren Aharoni (May 26, 2024). "Without the injury I might not have been at the Paralympic Games in Paris - that's my destiny," Israel HaYom.
^ "Saleh SHAHIN," World Rowing.
^ Eliana Jordan (August 9, 2024). "Meet the Jewish and Israeli athletes competing in the 2024 Paralympics," The Jewish Chronicle.
^ "Saleh Shahin and Shahar Milfelder," INZ-org.
^ Oren Aharoni (September 1, 2024). "Gold medal in rowing for Moran Samuel, bronze for Shahin and Millfelder," Israel HaYom.
^ Spiro, Amy (1 September 2024). "Israeli rowing duo takes bronze for Israel at Paris Paralympics". The Times of Israel.
^ "I will go to Millfelder and Shaheen in Paris; The pair of Israeli rowers, in their first appearance at the games, reached the podium in rowing," Mako, September 1, 2024.
^ Jacob Gurvis (September 3, 2024). "As Israel endured a difficult weekend at home, its athletes won several Paralympic medals, bringing Paris total to 7,"