Written by: Haroon Shuaib
Posted on: September 08, 2021 | 
| 中文
(L to R) Anila Izzat Baig, Punjab sports minister Rai Taimoor Bhatti and Haider Ali upon his return to Pakistan
Haider Ali, a Pakistani para-athlete at the Tokyo Paralympic Games 2020, became the first athlete from the country to win a medal in the recently concluded Paralympic Games. Haider Ali’s gold in the F37 discus throw category in para-athletics is Pakistan's first and only medal in both the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic games. Haider’s throw of 55.26m in Tokyo was almost 3m longer than Ukraine's Mykola Zhabnyak's throw of 52.43m, who stood second. Haider hails from Gujranwala, the city of wrestlers.
Haider Ali won the gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics
It is, however, not the first medal in his illustrious career as an athlete. Haider Ali won both a silver medal in Beijing Paralympic Games (2008), and a Bronze medal in Rio de Janerio Paralympic Games (2016) for the long jump category. Haider won gold in F38 long jump and bronze in T38 100-meters dash at Asian Para Games Guangzhou (2010). He has bagged another gold in the long jump category at Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled in Malaysia (2006).
Haider Ali in action during a past Paralympic event
Speaking exclusively to Youlin from Tokyo soon after his victory, 36 year old Haider Ali said, “This is like a dream come true for me. I am so happy that I won this medal for my country. I had tears in my eyes when the national flag of Pakistan was hoisted in the stadium. The pressure was immense, and it was not easy to remain focused. Just before the game began, it started raining and made it more diffcult as the track was slippery and the discus kept slipping from my hands.”
Haider Ali ready for his event at the Paralympics
Born in a village called Daira Multaniawala, situated between Gujranwala and Sheikhupura, Haider Ali has a physical disability from birth, as his right side is weaker than his left. Haider's right leg is one inch shorter and two inches thinner than his left leg, but this did not deter him from playing sports. He belongs to a family of athletes, and this is where his for passion for sports comes from. Haider told Youlin, “I loved sports from a young age as I belong to a family of athletes. My grandfather, father, and most of my male family members were pehalwans (wrestlers), and my father also played kabaddi. I became fond of athletics once I joined the college and saw other boys pursuing sports.” Haider still follows his father's advice, “to become a successful athlete, focus on two things: practice and diet.”
Haider's career progressed organically as he started participating in athletics from his school days. “Initially, I played for the Punjab Education Board in many college and university level sports competitions. Now, I represent WAPDA in national-level competitions as they have provided me permanent employment. My coach, Akbar Ali Mughal, is very strict about my discipline and fitness,” Haider said.
For Haider and his fellow para-athletes, participating in the Paralympics was not an ordinary feat, given the obstacles they had to face. Lack of proper facilities for training, unavailability of funds, and the restrictions caused by the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, made Haider's task even more challenging. Recalling the issues he faced during his preparations for the Paralympics, Haider said, “there was no facility for training in all the major sports complexes in the country, and I had to make my own place for training in Gujranwala. Till just ten days before the commencement of the games, we were not sure if the National Paralympic Committee would even be able to arrange air tickets for us to travel.”
Haider Ali with the runner ups of the event
Haider thanked Punjab's sports minister Rai Taimoor Khan Bhatti, for all his efforts in ensuring that the Pakistani contingent makes it to Tokyo for the games. He has dedicated his medal to the people of Pakistan who prayed for his success, and wishes to become a role model for people with disabilities, “It is a very crucial win for Pakistan. I hope it brings the focus of the authorities towards para-sports and para-athletes. I also hope that people with disabilities will not let obstacles demoralize them.”
Haider returned victorious to the country on the morning of 6th September and was given a national hero’s welcome. Punjab’s Sports Minister, Rai Taimoor Khan Bhatti, who was instrumental in making arrangements for the Pakistani contingent’s travel to Tokyo, received Haider Ali at the airport. Minister Rai Taimoor Khan Bhatti said Haider Ali had fulfilled his promise of winning a medal for the country, and reiterated that the entire nation is proud of him. He announced a reward of PKR 2.5 million for the para-athelete, and expressed his ministry’s commitment to continue supporting National Paralympic Committee at every level. As Haider Ali’s victory brings paralympic games and para-atheletes in focus, it is hoped that his gold medal win will be the first of many for Pakistan in the years to come.
You may also like:
Centers of No Attention: Comparing Pakistan's City Centers with European Squares
(November 22, 2024)
