Haider Ali Wins Gold: Haider Ali’s astounding victory at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics is a great success for Pakistan. He made history by winning gold in the discus throw competition. He is the first Pakistani to achieve this victory.
Haider Ali’s Personal Best Score
Haider Ali bagged his best ever score of 55.26 m at his fifth attempt out of six. He was almost 3m longer than Ukraine’s Mykola Zhabnyak who scored 52.43 to come in second place. Brazil’s Joao Victor Teixeira de Souza Silva won bronze with a throw of 51.86m. This event happened to record Ali’s best performance of his life time. Previously, he had won two medals, silver in Beijing and a bronze in Rio in the long jump event. Also, in 2019 World Para-Athletic Championship in Dubai, he bagged a silver. Thus, the athlete has acquired enough medals to be considered top-notch. What a staggering win for Pakistan – unprecedented in history.
Congratulations to Haider Ali for winning the first-ever Paralympic gold medal🏅for Pakistan🇵🇰! Haider is used to creating history having secured Pakistani's 1st Paralympic games medal (Silver) in 2008. Well done! #paraolympics #goldmedal #Tokyo2020 https://t.co/Fif6mumn9r
— U.S. Embassy Islamabad (@usembislamabad) September 3, 2021
Advising the State
However, upon interview Haider Ali revealed that he has not received much support from the country in terms of travelling arrangements for the Tokyo event. He advises the government in his words, “to…participate here is an honour…paralympians should get equal support, which the Olympians get, so that we can also train better, compete in a better way, give better results and make Pakistan proud.”
"I hope to be a role model for other people that have a disability that don’t compete in sport to take part in Para sport." – Haider Ali #PAK #ParaAthletics #Tokyo2020 #Paralympics pic.twitter.com/rnCrRmMals
— Paralympic Games (@Paralympics) September 3, 2021
What Lies Ahead
After this win, Haider Ali is preparing for more competition and hoping for support from not only the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) but also from the state. He suffers from cerebral palsy which makes one side of the body weaker than the other. However, his passion for the sport keeps him going. What a proud moment for Pakistan to see him grab gold and bask in the glory of his efforts! Keep it coming Haider Ali!
