Haider Ali, Pakistan’s only para-athlete participating in the upcoming Paris Paralympics, departed for the French capital along with his coach Akbar Ali on Monday. The opening ceremony scheduled on August 28 will mark the official commencement of the Games after the successful conclusion of the Olympics earlier this month. Haider, a native of Gujranwala, will represent Pakistan in the F37 category of the discus throw event on September 6. This will be Haider’s fifth appearance at the quadrennial event. He won a gold medal in the discus throw at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics with a throw of 55.26 meters.

He had bagged a silver medal in the long jump at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics and a bronze in the same event at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. Unfortunately, he didn’t compete in the 2012 London Paralympics due to injury.

Earlier, Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Director General Yasir Pirzada announced that Haider will once again represent Pakistan at this year’s Paralympics and expressed confidence in his abilities to win a medal. “We are honoured to send Haider Ali to the Paralympics once again. His exceptional talent and dedication make him a top contender for another medal, and we are confident that he will make Pakistan proud again,” Pirzada had said.

Over 4,000 athletes from 170 countries will compete in the Games, showcasing the abilities of athletes with various physical disabilities.

In the Paris Olympics, javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem clinched a gold medal with an Olympic record throw of 92.97m to open Pakistan’s medal tally. He finished ahead of India’s Neeraj Chopra, who won the gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics, and Grenada’s Anderson Peters on the podium.

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