Ron Halevi, 27, lives in Ramat Gan.
From a young age, long before his injury, Ron was a kayaker. When it was time to enlist in the IDF as a combat soldier in the “Palsar 7” unit, Ron left everything and joined the army. He fought in Operation “Protective Edge” in the Gaza Strip during his service. At the end of a mission in Dir al-Balah, a mortar shell fell about 2 meters away from him on his way back to our borders. Shrapnel from the explosion hit Ron and his friend, five fellow soldiers were killed, and many more were injured. Ron lost his right leg from below the knee. It was clear to Ron that he would return to the things he did before his injury, and so he went back to rowing and is now competing in Paralympic sports. Today, Ron is ranked 12th place in the World Championships and 9th place in the European Kayak Championships.
The challenge: Riding an off-road bike with the prosthesis
Ron rides an off-road bike with the help of his prosthesis and can ride pretty much just like anybody else. For him, the bicycle is a substitute for running, allowing him to ride for a long time and to travel long distances off-road- with a sense of capability and comfort that does not exist when running with a prosthesis. In challenging terrain situations, or when he wants to stand up during the ride and pedal uphill, Ron is limited because the prosthesis slides off the pedal at different angles. Ron is looking for a solution that, on the one hand, will limit the smoothness of the prosthesis and allow these tasks to be performed, and on the other hand, will not be locked in entirely – so that it will not be connected in a way that is difficult to release from the bike when needed.
