| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1982-10-28)28 October 1982 (age 43) Shfaram, Israel |
| Height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) |
Spouse | Sabrin Shahin |
| Children | 3 |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Para-rowing |
| Disability class | PR2 |
Event | Double sculls |
| Club | Beit Halochem |
| Partner | Shahar Milfelder |
| Coached by | Dmitry Margolin and Sergey Bokarib |
| Achievements and titles | |
| World finals | 2023 World Rowing Championships, first in thePR2 Mixed Double Sculls Final B |
Saleh Shahin (Arabic:صلاح شاهین,Hebrew:סאלח שאהין; born 28 October 1982) is an Israeli Paralympic medalistrower.[1][2] He isDruze, from the Arab city ofShfaram, Israel. He enlisted in theIsraeli Defense Forces, and served as a commander in theparatroopers. He was wounded in 2005 in a terrorist attack. Shahin representedIsrael at the 2024 Paris Paralympics in thePR2 mixed double sculls, and won the bronze medal withShahar Milfelder.
Shahin isDruze, from the Arab city ofShfaram, Israel. He and his wife have two daughters.[3] He enlisted in theIsraeli Defense Forces in 2003, and rose to be a commander in theparatroopers.[4][5] Speaking ofArab-Jewish coexistence, Shahin said: "I feel an inseparable part of theState of Israel, and equal among equals."[6]
On 13 January 2005, Shahin was at work as a security guard for theIsrael Airports Authority at theKarni crossing checkpoint on theGaza-Israel border.[5][7][3] A number of terrorists from Gaza attacked the crossing, killed six Israeli civilians, wounding four others, and seriously wounding Shahin.[8][5][9] Shahin attacked the terrorists, and in his exchange of gunfire with them Shahin was injured by four bullets which crushed his left foot, and entered his left thigh tearing a mainartery,hip joint,pelvis, andintestines in his abdomen.[10][11][5][3] He killed the terrorist who had shot him, as well as two other terrorists.[12][13]
Shahin received two awards for his acts of bravery in stopping the attack and pursuing an attacker.[14] He suffers from considerable limitation in his range of motion as a consequence of his injuries.[3]
His club is Beit Halochem inTel Aviv, Israel. Shahin trains at the Daniel Rowing Centre and on the banks of theYarkon River in Tel Aviv, and his coaches are Dmitry Margolin and Sergey Bokarib.[15][1] He practices twice a day, six days a week.[16] He is 1.95 meters (6 feet, 5 inches) tall.[5]
His rowing partner is Jewish-IsraeliShahar Milfelder, who is 15 years his junior, at 16 years old was diagnosed with cancer, and half of herpelvis was removed.[6] At the 2019 World Rowing Cup III, they won a gold medal in the PR3 Mixed Double Sculls (FA). At the 2023 World Rowing Championships, they came in first in thePR2 Mixed Double Sculls Final B. At the 2024 World Rowing Final Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta in Switzerland, they won a silver medal in the PR2 Mixed Double Sculls and qualified for the 2024 Paralympics.[8][17][7][18]
Shahin representedIsrael at the 2024 Paris Paralympics in thePR2 mixed double sculls.[19] He won the bronze medal with Shahar Milfelder, with a time of 8:31.85, 13 seconds behind gold medalist Great Britain.[20][21][22] He said that at the start of their race, he heard theIsraeli national anthem, and was in tears,[22] as earlier that morningthe bodies of six killed Israeli hostages had been recovered in Gaza.[22]
