Three years after being critically wounded in combat in Beit Hanoun, Gaza, and losing his right leg above the knee, Boris Shtonda crossed the finish line of the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, on Sunday, draped in an Israeli flag.
Shtonda completed one of the world's most demanding endurance competitions in 16 hours, 33 minutes, and 54 seconds, becoming the first Israeli amputee to finish the Kona course.
As he approached the finish line, the race announcer went beyond the traditional declaration made for Ironman finishers.
"Boris Shtonda, you are an Ironman," she announced, adding, "You prove every day that anything is possible, crossing the finish line and representing Israel."
Shtonda, whose right leg was amputated above the knee, has now joined a small group of athletes worldwide with similar amputations who have successfully completed the Ironman World Championship in Kona.