Pakistan’s Haider Ali set to defend title in Paris

Pakistan’s star Paralympian, Haider Ali, who won the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games, is gearing up to defend his title in the men’s discus throw (F37 category) at the Paris Paralympics.

His competition will take place at the Stade de France Track on Friday, starting at 2:50 pm Pakistan Standard Time (PST).

Haider’s previous achievements include a silver medal in long jump at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics and a bronze in the 2016 Rio Paralympics, though he missed the 2012 London Paralympics due to injury.

The 39-year-old Paralympian has been rigorously training despite limited facilities and is confident about his chances of securing another gold for Pakistan.

“Yes, it’s a major target and I know that. I have trained harder and my target is to win another gold for the country. I am very much confident,” Haider told Nukta from Paris.

Haider Ali training in Paris ahead of the competition.National Paralympic Committee of Pakistan (NPCP)

Haider, who has also won four gold medals in the Asian Para Games, revealed that he dedicated the past seven months to training, mostly in his hometown, Gujranwala, with guidance from his coach Akbar Ali Mughal.

“I have trained for seven months, mostly in my hometown in Gujranwala. When I was training in Gujranwala, I used to get input from my coach on the phone. And I trained in Islamabad only for 11 to 12 days under my coach,” he said.

“My body responds well and I see things will go in the right direction,” he added.

His coach shares the ambition of winning gold but acknowledges the tough competition posed by several new athletes.

“It is going well here and we are undergoing training under our plans. Weather is cool here and it's the rainy season. It would be good if the sun rises and the weather takes a turn. Our desire is to get gold but competition is too tough. A few good new athletes have come and they are good in competition but anyhow we will make our best effort to clinch gold,” Mughal told Nukta.

Haider Ali clicks a selfie with his coach Akbar Ali Mughal.National Paralympic Committee of Pakistan (NPCP)

Mughal remains hopeful and also urged the nation to pray for Haider's success. Similarly, Haider's father, Sadiq Ali, also expressed confidence in his son’s victory.

“InshaAllah, he [Haider] will win gold,” Sadiq said.

Haider’s personal best throw of 55.26 meters, achieved in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, places him among the top contenders. However, he faces strong competition from athletes like Ukraine’s Mykola Zhabnyak (55.71m) and Canada’s Jesse Zesseu (54.81m).

Haider’s cousin, Shehzad, mentioned that their family and friends plan to watch the event together.

“Yes, we will watch it together and we are desperately waiting for it. I have also called Haider and he is fully confident and motivated,” Shehzad said.