Pascale Bercovitch

Pascale Noa Bercovitch (Hebrew: פסקל ברקוביץ'; born August 21, 1967) is a Franco-Israeli writer, Israeli film director and paralympic athlete.

Pascale Bercovitch
Bercovitch in 2013
Personal information
Full namePascale Noa Bercovitch
NationalityIsraeli French
Born (1967-08-21) August 21, 1967
Angers, France
Websitewww.pascale.org.il
Sport
SportKayak, Cycling, Rowing, Swimming
TeamIsraeli National Paralympic Team
Medal record
Women's paralympic rowing
Representing  Israel
World Cup
Silver medal – second place 2008 Munich ASW1x

Early life

Bercovitch was born in France to Jewish father and non-Jewish mother. In her youth, she was a track and field champion of Picardy. On 13 December 1984, aged 17, she slipped while in a train station in Angers and got pulled under an incoming train, causing the amputation of both of her legs above the knee.[1] She was preparing at the time to immigrate to Israel, fulfilling her plans shortly later and volunteering to serve with the Israel Defense Forces. Following her military service she began practicing disabled sports, attempting to achieve the criteria for the 1992 Summer Paralympics.

Journalism and film

In the early 1990s, Bercovitch began working in different fields of communications, becoming a journalist, writer and a film director, while still practicing sports and delivering her first daughter. As a journalist, Bercovitch dealt with disabled people, serving as a journalist on the subject in a morning television show and directing three documentaries, one of which on the Israeli delegation to the 2000 Summer Paralympics. Throughout these years she was training herself in abseiling, mountain climbing and wheelchair dancing.

In 2008, Bercovitch directed a documentary titled Three Hundredths of a Second.

Paralympic sports career
Bercovitch on a handbike in 2012

Bercovitch was asked in 2007 to join the Israeli paralympic rowing team. While never practicing this sport, she had been given ten months to be included in the final list of participants to the 2008 Summer Paralympics. Her silver medal won at the 2008 World Rowing Cup competitions in Germany enabled her to do so. She was a rower at the 2008 Paralympics,[2] where she competed in the women's single sculls event but did not advance to the finals.

She competed in para-cycling at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, placing sixth in handcycling[2] at the women's H4 events in road time trial (16 km) and road race (48 km).

Bercovitch then switched to paracanoe, competing in the women's kayak single KL2 200 m events at the 2015 World Championships,[2] the 2016 Summer Paralympics,[3] and the 2017 World Championships.[4]

Published works
  • Oline, le dauphin du miracle (The dolphin's boy). Paris, 1999. ISBN 2-221-08907-3

Film productions
TitleProduced byDirected byFormatLengthYearCountryLanguageAwards
Three Hundredths of a SecondPascale Noa BercovitchPascale Noa BercovitchDocumentary55mins2008IsraelHebrew2006 Paralympic Film Festival, Hungary

References
  1. Autobiographical statement in Oline, le dauphin du miracle (see above).
  2. "Pascale Bercovitch". CanoeICF.com. International Canoe Federation. 21 September 2019.
  3. "BERCOVITCH Pascale – Rio 2016 Schedule & Results". Paralympic.org.
  4. "Pascale Rachel Bercovitch – 2017 ICF Canoe Sprint & Paracanoe World Cup". Results.digicorp.hu.
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