History made at Paralympic Games: Haider Ali bags first-ever gold for Pakistan in Tokyo

Pakistan's Haider Ali made history on Friday, winning the first Paralympics gold for the country after a personal-best distance in the discus throw event at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

The medal is also Pakistan's first at the ongoing event in Tokyo.

Ali's 55.26-metre throw, in his fifth attempt, was not only his personal best but also the highest distance in the F37 shot put that earned him the top podium finish.

Commenting on his win, the Paralympian from Gujranwal said that the gold medal would go a long way in creating awareness and encourage other people to take up para-sports.

“I hope to be a role model for other people," Ali, who suffers from cerebral palsy, said.

His throw was close to three metres more than Ukraine's Zhabnyak who earned a silver medal with a 52.43m, while Brazilian Teixeira de Souza won bronze (51.86m).

The Paralympian has clinched two medals previously, a silver in Beijing and a bronze at the Rio Games in the long jump event for Pakistan, but this is his first-ever medal in the discus throw.

'Pride of Pakistan'

Twitter was flooded with congratulatory messages as soon as the news broke out. The official Twitter handle of the government of Pakistan congratulated the veteran Paralympian who made the country proud.

The United States Embassy in Islamabad also congratulated Ali.

Federal Minister for Information Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said the country was proud of Ali's achievement.