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Dror Cohen

Dror Cohen is an Israeli Paralympic sailor who won a gold medal in the Sonar-class keelboat at the 2004 Athens Paralympics.

born 19682004 Paralympic sailing gold medalCo-founding the Etgarim associationFive Paralympic Games appearances

Born: 31 March 1968
Occupation: military personnel, sailor

Dror Cohen was born in 1968

Dror Cohen was born on 31 March 1968. As a youth he was a member of the Sea Scouts and hoped to join Sayeret Matkal.

He began a naval officers course and moved during it to the flight course. He became an F-16 fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force. In 1992 he was hurt in a road accident on his way to base and was left paralyzed in his legs.

After his injury he took up many extreme sports, including sailing, skiing, bungee jumping and car racing. He was the first disabled driver in the Dakar Rally. In 1995 he was among the founders of the Etgarim association.

His sports career centered on sailing. He was team skipper at the 2000 Paralympics. In 2004 he won gold with Benny Wexler and Arnon Efrati, and the team won the world championship in 2011.

He also competed at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Paralympics. He holds a bachelor's degree in history from Tel Aviv University.