Biton was serving in the IDF’s Nahal Brigade on May 12, 2021, when an anti-tank missile fired from Gaza struck his military vehicle near the Israeli border. His friend, Staff Sgt. Omer Tabib, was killed. Biton was critically wounded, underwent several surgeries and eventually lost his left leg.
Instead of allowing the attack to end his story, Biton completed a long rehabilitation and returned to running with a prosthetic blade. Adidas selected him as one of 11 disabled Israeli athletes featured in stores across Israel to promote its Single Shoe service.
The service allows people with amputations or other lower-limb differences to purchase one shoe for 50% of the regular price of a pair. Biton explained that after returning to running, he repeatedly had to buy two expensive running shoes despite only being able to use one one.
Anti-Israel activists responded by demanding a global Adidas boycott, with several posts receiving millions of views. Some falsely claimed the program was created for Israeli soldiers or that Biton lost his leg inside Gaza during the current war. Adidas rejected those claims, explaining that the service is a global accessibility program available to amputees from every background.