Pascale BERCOVITCH (ISR)

ILIsrael
Age:
56 years
Languages:
English, French, German, Hebrew, Spanish
Federation:
ISRAEL CANOE ASSOCIATION
Pascale Rachel BERCOVITCH

Biography

Further Personal Information

PLACE OF RESIDENCE
Tel Aviv
OCCUPATION
Motivational Speaker
WHEN/WHERE DID YOU START CANOEING/ KAYAKING?
She transitioned from Para cycling to Para canoe following the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.
AMBITIONS
To compete at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo
OTHER INFORMATION
Classification
KL2

Type of Impairment
Limb deficiency (forward.com, 12 Sep 2016)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (forward.com, 12 Sep 2016)

Impairment Details
In 1984 she was running for a train to her school in Angers, France, when she slipped and fell underneath a train, resulting in both of her legs being amputated above the knee. (jpost.com, 02 May 2014; forward.com, 12 Sep 2016)

General
JOURNALISM CAREER
She took up swimming as part of her rehabilitation and was invited to join the Israeli national team with the aim of competing at the 1992 Paralympic Games in Barcelona. But without a full-time salary, she had to quit the team prior to the Games, and take up a profession. For nearly the next two decades she worked as a journalist and documentary maker, producing 'Three-Hundredths of a Second', an award-winning film on the 2000 Israeli Paralympic delegation. (jta.org, 12 May 2013; jpost.com, 02 May 2014)

AUTHOR
In 1999 she released a book titled 'Oline, le dauphin du miracle' [Oline, the miracle dolphin]. The book tells the true story of the bond between a dolphin and an Egyptian boy with a hearing impairment. (pascale.org.il, 2016)

REPRESENTING ISRAEL
Born in France, she learnt of her Jewish heritage at age 13 and volunteered for the Israel Defence Force when she finished her school studies. (haaretz.com, 11 Jul 2012)

SPORTING RELATIVES
Her husband Oz Skop has coached the Israel national climbing team
OTHER SPORTS
She finished eighth in rowing at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, and sixth in handcycling at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London