Sportsמלכה פוטשניק

Malka Potashnik

Malka Potashnik is an Israeli Paralympic champion who won medals at the 1968 and 1972 Summer Paralympics.

born 1949Paralympic gold medalsThe 1968 Tel Aviv ParalympicsParalympic throwing events

Born: 13 October 1949, Ramat Gan
Occupation: Paralympic athlete, Para swimmer, wheelchair basketball player

Malka Potashnik was born in 1949 in Ramat Gan

Malka Potashnik was born on October 13, 1949, in Ramat Gan, into the Halfon family. She had polio as a small child, and her right leg is paralyzed.

She began training at a sports center for people with disabilities. In 1967 she took part in the Stoke Mandeville Games and won gold and silver medals. At the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv she competed in athletics, swimming and wheelchair basketball, winning gold in the club throw, the javelin and basketball, and silver in 4 events.

At the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg she won gold in the shot put, silver in the javelin and bronze in the discus. She later competed in the discus and shot put at the 1992 Summer Paralympics in Barcelona without winning a medal.

In 1968 she married Zvi Potashnik, an athlete with a disability, and they have 3 children. From 1967 to 1980 she worked as an operator at the Office Mechanization Center of the Ministry of Finance.