Michal Escapa

Istraeli Paralympic multi-sport athlete

Michal Escapa

Personal information

Native name| מיכל אסקפה
National team| Israel
Born| 1937 (age 87–88)
Sport
Country|  Israel
Sport|

* Para swimming
* Para table tennis
* Para archery
* Wheelchair basketball

Disability| Poliomyelitis

Medal record

| Event  | 1st | 2nd | 3rd

|
|
|

Paralympic Games | 2  | 1  | 4
Representing  Israel
Paralympic Games
Table tennis
| 1976 Toronto | Singles 1C[1]
| 1968 Tel Aviv | Singles B[2]
| 1964 Tokyo | Singles B[3]
| 1972 Heidelberg | Singles 3[4]
Swimming
| 1964 Tokyo | 25m breaststroke[5]
| 1964 Tokyo | 25m freestyle[6]
Wheelchair basketball
| 1968 Tel Aviv | Wheelchair basketball[7]
Stoke Mandeville Games
Table tennis
| 1969 | Singles

Michal Escapa (Hebrew: מיכל אסקפה) is a former Israeli Paralympic champion.[8][9]

## Biography

[edit]

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.[10]

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.[11]

### The wrong reports

[edit]

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[12] of the Italian Paralympic Committee[13] 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.[9] 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.[14]

## Achievements

[edit]

Year | Competition | Venue | Rank | Event | Notes

|
|
|
|
|

Swimming
1964  | Summer Paralympics |  Tokyo | 3rd  | 25 m freestyle prone incomplete class 2 | [14]
3rd  | 25 m breaststroke incomplete class 2 | [14]
Table tennis
1964  | Summer Paralympics |  Tokyo | 3rd  | Singles B | [14]
1968  | Summer Paralympics |  Tel Aviv | 2nd  | Singles B |
1972  | Summer Paralympics |  Heidelberg | 3rd  | Singles 3 |
1976  | Summer Paralympics |  Toronto | 1st  | Singles 1C |
Wheelchair basketball
1968  | Summer Paralympics |  Tel Aviv | 1st  | Team |

## See also

[edit]

* French Jews in Israel

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Results Archive - Toronto 1976 - Table Tennis - Womens Singles 1C". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
2. ^ "Results Archive - Tel Aviv 1968 - Table Tennis - Womens Singles B". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
3. ^ "Results Archive - Tokyo 1964 - Table Tennis - Womens Singles B". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
4. ^ "Results Archive - Heidelberg 1972 - Table Tennis - Womens Singles 3". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
5. ^ "Results Archive - Tokyo 1964 - Swimming - Womens 25 M Breaststroke Incomplete Class 2". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
6. ^ "Results Archive - Tokyo 1964 - Swimming - Womens 25 M Freestyle Prone Incomplete Class 2". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
7. ^ "Results Archive - Tel Aviv 1968 - Wheelchair Basketball - Womens Tournament". Paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
8. ^ "Michael Escapa - Profile". paralympic.org. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
9. ^ a b "Escapa - Profile". paralympic.org. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
10. ^ עדה כהן, הישגיה של מיכל, מעריב, 1968 (Hebrew)
11. ^ "Michal Escapa". Paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee.
12. ^ "Swimming - Women's 25 m Breaststroke Incomplete class 2". paralympic.org. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
13. ^ "Media Guide Tokyo 2020" (PDF). comitatoparalimpico.it (in Italian). Retrieved 14 September 2021.
14. ^ a b c d "Michal Escapa - Hi whose mistake?". nli.org.il (in Hebrew). 27 September 1968. Retrieved 14 September 2021. "... 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"

## External links

[edit]

* Michal Escapa at Paralympic.org
* Michal Escapa at Paralympic.org

## Notes

[edit]