The son of one of the four Australian victims of the 1997 Maccabiah bridge disaster was awarded a gold medal during the recent Maccabiah Games in Israel .

Josh Small, 19, competed at the 18th Maccabiah last month in bowling — the same sport in which his father, Greg, was due to compete at the ill-fated 15th Maccabiah in 1997. Scores of Australians were plunged into the polluted waters of the Yarkon River when a makeshift bridge collapsed just before the opening ceremony.

Josh Small failed to win a medal during the competition but returned to with a gold medal bearing the words “For the courage to accomplish your father’s dream. You deserve the gold.” — jta