{"id":335190,"date":"2026-03-12T10:16:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T10:16:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/335190\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T10:16:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T10:16:10","slug":"amid-war-israeli-para-athlete-stands-tall-as-she-proudly-displays-national-flag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/335190\/","title":{"rendered":"Amid war, Israeli Para athlete stands tall as she proudly displays national flag"},"content":{"rendered":"

CORTINA D\u2019AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) \u2014 The only Israeli athlete at the Milan Cortina Paralympics will leave the Games without a medal but full of pride from displaying her nation\u2019s flag at a time of distress back home.<\/p>\n

Sheina Vaspi\u2019s best finish was 12th place in the women\u2019s Para alpine combined standing race. She is not expected to compete again because of a lingering injury and because of Shabbat, when she does not compete in accordance with traditional Jewish law. She missed a Paralympic race last weekend, too, because of the Jewish day of rest.<\/p>\n

She has taken the slopes at a fraught time, amid a climate of rising antisemitism globally, and during Israeli and US strikes on the Iranian regime that began on February 28, less than a week before the opening ceremony at Milano Cortina.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a feeling that we should hide the Israel flag because it\u2019s not safe right now to show it, not safe to show you are Jewish around the world,\u201d she said in an interview with The Associated Press. \u201cSo I\u2019m really happy I had the chance, like, at least to have it big on the helmet and show up, because I\u2019m really, really proud of where I come from. I\u2019m really proud of my people and of what they\u2019ve been through in the last two years. I\u2019m so happy I had the chance to represent that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 24-year-old Vaspi<\/a>, who had her left leg amputated in a car accident when she was a toddler, said it was tough to compete amid the ongoing war.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s not easy because you need to be focused on the training and the performance and be in the moment,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd at the same time, you know, the people you love being in the shelter all night. I try really hard to keep focused, but it\u2019s definitely a challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tIsrael\u2019s Sheina Vaspi is pictured after competing at the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Center in Yanqing during the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games on March 11, 2022. (Wang Zhao \/ AFP)<\/p>\n

Vaspi, the granddaughter of an Israeli army commander, said she lost a cousin<\/a> who went to fight for Israel after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war in Gaza. She said she was training in Colorado when she heard the news and was \u201creally broken,\u201d but used that as motivation to keep competing and representing her nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first thing that [my cousin] did was go and show up, and without anyone asking him to,\u201d she said. \u201cI knew he wanted me to keep going. He gave me a lot of strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vaspi said she felt welcomed by other athletes and felt good about explaining \u201cmore about what\u2019s going on\u201d with Israel. She said she got \u201ca lot of love\u201d from other athletes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really was surprised to see a lot of support from other athletes, and I see in here a lot of people that, that ask [about] the pain of Israel, and they really love Israel, and it gives me a lot of strength in this time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Vaspi had to fight to be allowed to wear a skirt over her racing suit four years ago, going into her first appearance in the Paralympics in Beijing. She said she doesn\u2019t feel the need to wear it anymore because it\u2019s not as important for her, and because it hinders her speed.<\/p>\n

She is not making exceptions about the Shabbat, though, and said she didn\u2019t feel bad about missing races because of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m completely fine and I go after what I believe in,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd feel OK with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tSheina Vaspi, of Israel, competes in the alpine skiing women\u2019s alpine combined standing super-G event at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, in Cortina d\u2019Ampezzo, Italy, March 10, 2026. (Evgeniy Maloletka\/AP)<\/p>\n

Vaspi said she leaves the Games \u201ca little bit frustrated\u201d because of her result, as she feels she had \u201cmuch more to give\u201d on the slopes. In addition to her 12th-place finish, she did not end the race in the Super-G standing.<\/p>\n

Vaspi was 15th in the giant slalom standing in Beijing 2022.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019m really proud of myself that I showed up,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.\u00a0<\/p>\n


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