Pakistani athlete Haider Ali is poised to make history at the Paralympic Games this Friday in Stade de France. He is aiming for his fourth medal.
Recognized as one of the country’s top athletes, Haider has a distinguished career marked by significant achievements.
He earned his place at the 2024 Paris Games with a 51.23-meter throw in the F37 category at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou.
In 2020, Haider became the first Pakistani to win a gold medal at the Paralympics in Tokyo.
Despite limited resources, he and his coach, Akbar Mughal, are focused on replicating this success in Paris. Haider competes without sponsors and missed the World Championships last year. He remains determined to secure a podium finish.
“Funding and participation are constant challenges,” Haider noted. He also struggles to balance his professional commitments with supporting his children.
He trains in difficult conditions, sometimes in the rain in Gujranwala, with his children helping retrieve the discus from waterlogged fields. His influence on the global stage began at the 2020 Paralympics, although he switched from long jump to discus throw in 2012 after an injury.
Before Tokyo, he won a silver in 2008 and a bronze in 2016. An injury prevented him from winning a medal at the 2012 Games in London. “No other Pakistani athlete has three medals from four Games, including the Olympics,” Haider stated.
Initially passionate about cricket, he pursued athletics, seeing it as a fairer field where advancement depended solely on merit.
Coach Mughal emphasized the National Paralympics Committee of Pakistan’s commitment to merit-based selection, free from nepotism.
Sports have helped mitigate the effects of cerebral palsy for Haider. “It made me stronger, able to handle tasks I once couldn’t,” he explained.
Today, Haider is physically stronger and enjoys a rewarding sports career, which is supported by his role with Wapda.
