Paris Paralympics: Haider Ali wins bronze in discus throw final

Pakistan’s para-athlete Haider Ali on Friday won a bronze medal with his 52.54-metre throw in the Men’s Discus Throw F37 event final at the Paralympic Games at Stade de France.

Haider made a 52.28-metre throw in his first attempt and continued to lead the rooster for the first two rounds.

However, he made three consecutive foul attempts before making his best throw of 52.54-m in the fifth attempt.

Uzbekistan’s Yuldashev Tolibboy won the gold with a throw of 56.03 in the fifth round, while Canada’s Jesse Zesseu bagged Silver with a 52.81m throw.

Achievements

Haider shot to fame in 2010 when he won a gold in the Long Jump F37, and a bronze in the 100m T38 event in Guangzhou.

In 2018, he won two gold medals in the Discus Throw F37 and Javelin Throw F37/38, as well as a bronze in Long Jump T37/38.

Haider directly qualified for the 2024 Paris Games after his stellar performance last year at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou with a throw of 51.23 metres in the F37 category.

In 2020, he became the first Pakistani to win a gold medal at the Paralympics in the Tokyo Games.