Paralympics: Haider ‘failed to live his dream’

Pakistan athlete disqualified after three fouls in long jump event.

KARACHI: Pakistan’s main hope of bagging a gold medal, athlete Haider Ali, met with a disappointing end to his London Paralympics campaign.

Haider failed to get off the mark in his long jump event, his final event appearance at the 2012 Games, due to a hamstring injury as coach Akbar Ali Mughal expressed his disappointment. Mughal said that all-out efforts were made to get Ali back in shape but his injury, picked up during training ahead of his 100m race, aggravated after the first attempt.

“It’s really sad for us and him that he failed to live his dream of winning gold because of an injury,” Mughal told The Express Tribune. “He could be termed 60 per cent fit for his long jump and it was always difficult. The cold weather made the situation even worse.”

The official revealed that Ali was in pain after his effort, however, remained determined to continue.

“Ali tried to put up a brave face despite severe pain because he didn’t want to walk away without giving everything he had. Had it been someone else I think he would’ve backed out after the first attempt.”

Brazilian powerlifter banned after drugs test

Meanwhile, Brazilian powerlifter Bruno Pinheiro Carra has been banned for nine months for failing a drug test, the International Paralympic Committee said.

He was tested out of competition on August 24 and banned diuretics were found in his sample. The Brazilian was provisionally banned on August 31 — the day before he was due to compete at the London 2012 Games, the IPC said.

Cowdrey seizes historic 11th swim gold

Swimmer Matthew Cowdrey became Australia’s most decorated Paralympian, smashing his own world record as he claimed an historic 11th gold medal.

The 24-year-old, an amputee since childhood, finished the S9 50m freestyle in a new world best of 25.13sec — leaving Tamas Toth of Hungary to pick up the silver and Spain’s Jose Antonio Mari Alcaraz to take the bronze.

Cowdrey has already won two golds in the S9 100m backstroke and the 4x100m freestyle relay 34 points, as well as two silvers in the S9 100m butterfly and SB8 100m breaststroke.

He is still to race in the S9 100m freestyle and SM9 200m individual medley.

He won five gold and three silver medals in Beijing four years ago, and broke five world records. In Athens in 2004, he won three golds.

“The first one is obviously the most special but tonight is definitely up there. To swim as well as I did is the most important thing. It was really professional,” said Cowdrey. “To go 25.1 is getting quick. It’s just special, there’s no other word to describe it.” (With additional input from afp)

Published in The Express Tribune, September 7^th, 2012.