Haider Ali wins Pakistan’s first Gold Medal at Paralympic games in Tokyo

On Friday, Pakistani athlete Haider Ali made history by becoming the first Pakistani to win a gold medal. He won in the ‘discus throw sport’ at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Haider Ali paralympic gold medal

Ali threw a 55.26 metre throw on his fifth try out of a total of six to win by over 3 metres over Ukraine’s Mykola Zhabnyak. Mykola came in second with a 52.43 metre throw.

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Joao Victor Teixeira de Souza Silva of Brazil won bronze with a throw of 51.86 metres.

Ali’s attempt was a “personal best,” according to the official Paralympic Games account on Twitter.

The athlete added that the gold medal would be “extremely important” for para-sports in Pakistan. Since it would show others what can be accomplished through hard effort.

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Moreover, he added, “I aim to be a role model for those individuals with disabilities who don’t compete in sports to participate in para-sports.”

The US Embassy in Islamabad also congratulated him on his victory, saying he was “used to creating history.”

Fawad Chaudhry congratulates Haider Ali for Gold in Paralympic Tokyo

On Twitter, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry also congratulated the sportsman on his victory. Furthermore, he tweeted, “We are proud of you.”

Ali, a Gujranwala native, suffers from cerebral palsy. He has won a medal at the Paralympics on several occasions. His prior medals, though, were for the long jump.

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He took home a bronze medal in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and a silver medal at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing.

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