Noga Nir-Kistler
Noga Nir-Kistler grew up in Israel and first came to the U.S. with her family at the age of 17. After two years living in Whitehall, Pa., her family went back to Israel, but Noga would stay for less than a year before moving back to the U.S. to gain her citizenship.
At the age of 20, Nir-Kistler developed reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), a chronic syndrome that affected the nervous system in her left hand, and will eventually spread to the other parts of her body.
She first tried table tennis at the local YWCA, saying she was simply interested in giving it a try. When she began using a wheelchair, she didn't know if she would continue playing until she was told about Paralympic competition.
Nir-Kistler was originally selected to represent the U.S. at the 2004 Paralympic Games but couldn't compete because of health reasons. After winning two silver medals at the 2007 Parapan American Games, she finally made it to the Paralympic Games, competing in women's singles 5.
Major Achievements:
- 2008: U.S. Paralympic Team member, Table Tennis - Paralympic Games, Beijing, China
- 2007: Bronze medal, Class 4/5 Team - U.S. Open, Chicago, Ill.
- 2007: Two silver medals, Class 5 Singles, Class 5 Team - Parapan American Games, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 2006: Gold medal, Class 3-5 Singles - U.S. Paralympics Table Tennis Championships, Las Vegas, Nev.
- 2003: Silver medal, Team Class 4-5 - U.S. Paralympics Table Tennis Championships, Colorado Springs, Colo.
