Michal Escapa Explained

National Team:	Israel
Sport:	Para swimming Para table tennis Para archery Wheelchair basketball
Disability:	Poliomyelitis

Michal Escapa (Hebrew: מיכל אסקפה) is a former Israeli Paralympic champion.^{[1] [2]}

Biography

Escapa was born in France, immigrating to Israel as an orphan after the Second World War. At the age of 15 she was affected by polio and paralyzed in both legs and one of her arms. She studied in Jerusalem and was certified as an accountant, moving in 1962 to live in Holon and practice sports at the Israel Sports Center for the Disabled.^[3]

The national champion in wheelchair table tennis, Escapa competed in the Stoke Mandeville Games and in all four Summer Paralympics from 1964 to 1976. An accomplished table tennis player, she won a medal in each games: Gold in 1976, silver in 1968 and bronze in 1964 and 1972. During the 1972 Summer Paralympics she also competed in archery, finishing before last.^[4]

The wrong reports

Since at the dawn of the Paralympic Games there was no precision in reporting the results of the competitions, the Israeli athlete was indicated with the Italian nationality and without prename (and so she is mentioned in the International Paralympic Committee^[5] of the Italian Paralympic Committee^[6] web sites) for the reports of the Swimming at the 1964 Summer Paralympics where she won two bronze medals, simply reported as Escapa and not as Michal Escapa.^[2] However, as can be seen from a 1968 Israeli newspaper reporting an interview with the athlete, she was the same athlete who had won medals in swimming and table tennis in Tokyo 1964.^[7]

Achievements

Year	Competition	Venue	Rank	Event	Notes
Swimming
1964	Summer Paralympics	Tokyo	3rd	25 m freestyle prone incomplete class 2
	3rd	25 m breaststroke incomplete class 2
Table tennis
1964	Summer Paralympics	Tokyo	3rd	Singles B
1968	Summer Paralympics	Tel Aviv	bgcolor=silver	2nd	Singles B
1972	Summer Paralympics	Heidelberg	3rd	Singles 3
1976	Summer Paralympics	Toronto	bgcolor=gold	1st	Singles 1C
Wheelchair basketball
1968	Summer Paralympics	Tel Aviv	bgcolor=gold	1st	Team

See also

• French Jews in Israel

Notes and References

1. Web site: Michael Escapa - Profile. paralympic.org. 14 September 2021.
2. Web site: Escapa - Profile. paralympic.org. 14 September 2021.
3. http://jpress.nli.org.il/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin_TAU.asp?From=Search&Key=MAR/1968/09/27/56/Ar05605.xml&CollName=MAR_1968_1977&DOCID=86011&PageLabelPrint=56&Skin=%54%41%55%48%65&enter=%74%72%75%65&Publication=%44%41%56&AppName=%32&Hs=%61%64%76%61%6e%63%65%64&AW=%31%33%30%39%38%37%39%37%34%35%30%33%39&sPublication=%4d%41%52&tauLanguage=&sScopeID=%41%6c%6c&sSorting=%53%63%6f%72%65%2c%64%65%73%63&sQuery=%u05d0%u05e1%u05e7%u05e4%u05d4&rEntityType=&sSearchInAll=%66%61%6c%73%65&ViewMode=HTML עדה כהן, הישגיה של מיכל, מעריב, 1968
4. Web site: Michal Escapa . Paralympic.org . .
5. Web site: Swimming - Women's 25 m Breaststroke Incomplete class 2. paralympic.org. 14 September 2021.
6. Web site: Media Guide Tokyo 2020. comitatoparalimpico.it. it. 14 September 2021.
7. Web site: Michal Escapa - Hi whose mistake?. nli.org.il. ... but at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, she came to the place of success precisely. And she brought an additional Israeli team trophy as well as two sports for me. he. 27 September 1968. 14 September 2021.