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Chicago-born Israeli teen overcomes disabilities to become table tennis champ

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Published  September 25, 2024 6:58pm CDT
Chicago
FOX 32 Chicago

Chicago-born Israeli athlete prepares for Paralympics in LA

A teenager born in Chicago overcame all the odds, and will compete in the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles.

CHICAGO - Sixteen-year-old Yehonatan Levi, a Chicago-born Israeli teen who overcame significant disabilities, has returned to his hometown as a table tennis champion with big dreams.

Levi, along with other Paralympic athletes, is raising funds to support a facility in Israel that helps people with disabilities compete in sports.

Levi’s story is remarkable. Born in Chicago, his skull was crushed by forceps during delivery, leading to partial paralysis on the left side of his body. Despite his injuries, Levi has refused to give up.

"From the injury, I’m injured on the left side of the body," Levi said. "You see the eye, hand, and legs. But I am not giving up. All the time working hard."

At six years old, Levi moved with his family to Israel, where he discovered table tennis and became involved with the Israel Parasport Center, a Northfield-based organization that offers sports opportunities for people with disabilities in Israel. The center supports athletes from all backgrounds, including those affected by war.

This week, Levi and 10-year-old fellow athlete Omer Gadot are doing table tennis exhibitions in Chicago to raise funds for the center. Jennifer Flink, head of the Israel Parasport Center, emphasized the center’s inclusivity.

"The only thing you need to come to the center is a physical disability," Flink said. "We check politics at the door and we’re really about being the best person you can be."

Levi is now so skilled in table tennis that he is aiming for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

"When you do something that you like and you love, it feels good. I really am working hard to represent my country and the SportsCenter at the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles," Levi said.

Also attending Wednesday’s event was attorney Steve Levin, who won the medical malpractice case related to Levi’s birth injury. Seeing Yehonatan now, Levin expressed amazement.

"If you look at what he was like then and you compare it to what he is now, it’s in my professional career one of the most amazing things I have ever seen," Levin said. "And gratifying and heartwarming."

Levi and the Israel Parasport Center athletes will soon head to New York to continue fundraising efforts, as the center faces increasing demand due to casualties from conflicts in the Middle East.