Swimmer Mark Malyar clinched the bronze medal in the 100-meter backstroke final at the Paris Paralympic Games on Saturday, securing Israel's third podium walk.
This marks Malyar’s fourth Paralympic medal, having won two golds and a bronze at the Tokyo Games, where he also set two world records.
Malyar is the third Israeli athlete to reach the podium in Paris and the second from the swimming delegation. Before him, taekwondo fighter Asaf Yasur won gold on Thursday, and Ami Dadaon took gold in the 100-meter freestyle on Friday. Malyar finished the race in 1:07.42 minutes, behind Spain's Íñigo Llopis Sanz (1:05.58) and Japan's Kato Kubota (1:07.03).
This is Malyar’s second appearance at the Paralympics, and he hopes to replicate the success he had in Tokyo three years ago. In Japan, he achieved remarkable feats, winning gold in the 200-meter individual medley with a world record time of 2:29.01 minutes and again in the 400-meter freestyle with a time of 4:31.06 minutes, breaking his own world record from two years earlier (4:33.64).
After his victory, Malyar expressed his gratitude: "I want to thank all the soldiers who protect us; it's because of them that we're here. Thanks to them, we can train and compete. There’s an incredible crowd here, unlike Tokyo, where there were no spectators. It feels great to win a medal here. Hearing the crowd cheer for me made me realize the difference between Paris and Tokyo, which felt like just another competition. I know my starts aren’t strong, so my plan was to finish strong. I’m glad it worked."
A lifelong journey in the pool
Mark Malyar, 24, is one of Israel's standout Paralympic athletes in recent years. He is a two-time Paralympic champion (Tokyo 2020) and holds world records in the 400-meter freestyle and 200-meter individual medley. Malyar also boasts four world championship medals and world records in the 800-meter and 1,500-meter freestyle events.
Diagnosed at birth with cerebral palsy, which caused mild paralysis on the left side of his body, Malyar’s love affair with water began at age five when he and his twin brother Ariel, who has a similar condition, started hydrotherapy at the ILAN Haifa club. Their orthopedic doctor recommended swimming as therapy, where they discovered their exceptional talent, leading them to join the club's swimming team.
Malyar’s significant progress began at age ten when he started training under national coach Yaakov Beninson. By 13, he joined Israel’s national team and began accumulating achievements in national competitions, eventually advancing to European and world championships, where he consistently delivered impressive performances.
Breaking through on the world stage
Malyar’s breakthrough came at the 2017 World Championships in Mexico, where the then-17-year-old surprised everyone by winning bronze in the 100-meter backstroke and placing sixth in the 100-meter breaststroke. The following year, at the European Championships in Dublin, he won three medals, including silver in his strongest event, the 400-meter freestyle, and bronze in both the 100-meter breaststroke and 100-meter backstroke.
At the 2019 World Championships in London, Malyar won silver in the 200-meter individual medley and gold in the 400-meter freestyle, setting a new world record of 4:33.64 minutes—shattering the previous record by six seconds, which had stood for six years.
His spectacular performance in Tokyo followed, where he won three medals—two golds—alongside two world records. "Winning the first gold was a moment of immense pride, knowing the national anthem would play because of me, and it was incredibly satisfying after so many years of hard work," Malyar said after the 2021 Tokyo Games. "After all, I was thrown into the pool at age five and trained twice a day since I was 13—it’s been a long journey."