Saifullah sizzles with four medals in Berlin

Pakistani powerlifter wins two golds, one silver and one bronze at Special Olympics

KARACHI:

Saifullah Solangi grabbed two gold medals, one silver and one bronze for Pakistan at the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin on Tuesday. 

Saifullah opened the event’s medal account when he won silver medal in powerlifting. As the competition progressed, he was declared the winner of the event.

In the combined total, he secured silver medal with 245kg. He also took bronze medal on the bench by lifting 40kgs.

Saifullah expressed his gratitude and joy after his medal-winning performance.

“I will work harder and win more laurels for the country,” he was quoted as saying.

Head coach Sajid Imran and female coach Razia Perveen praised Saifullah’s performance, saying he underwent extensive training for participating at the World Games.

“Winning two gold, one silver and one bronze is a superb performance, and he has made us proud,” said Imran.

Saifullah hails from Karachi and his performance is proof of his hard work in the last four years.

“Saifullah’s coaches have worked very hard with him for the last four years,” the media manager for Special Olympics of Pakistan (SOP) Asif Azeem told The Express Tribune as he watched Saif receive his gold medal at the venue.

“The SOP chairperson Ronal Lakhani was also proud, and she mentioned that it was challenging for the athletes to train. She highlighted that with SOP powerlifters it is key to take care of their diets and work on their physical strength, but a big part of preparing them for the Games is working on their mental toughness,” Asif added.

Meanwhile, Pakistan lost to Hellas in basketball after a thrilling match by a point.

The SOP is fielding 87 athletes, including 33 females and 54 males. They are competing in 11 sports disciplines.  

On the first day, the athletes produced inspiring performances in the track and field disciplines, with nine of them reaching the finals of their events. 

Pakistan is competing in tennis, hockey, powerlifting, bocce, futsal, badminton, basketball, athletics, cycling and swimming.