Michal Escapa (; born 1937) is a former Israeli Paralympic champion.
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.עדה כהן, הישגיה של מיכל, מעריב, 1968 (Hebrew)
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.
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 of the Italian Paralympic Committee 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. 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.
Achievements Year Competition Venue Rank Event NotesSwimming1964Summer Paralympics Tokyo3rd25 m freestyle prone incomplete class 23rd25 m breaststroke incomplete class 2Table tennis1964Summer Paralympics Tokyo3rdSingles B1968Summer Paralympics Tel Aviv2ndSingles B1972Summer Paralympics Heidelberg3rdSingles 31976Summer Paralympics Toronto1stSingles 1CWheelchair basketball1968Summer Paralympics Tel Aviv1stTeam
See also French Jews in Israel
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