Fajar Zaheer of Pakistan wins silver in cycling event of Special Olympics
Fajar Zaheer, a female cyclist from Pakistan, has recently been able to bag a silver medal in the Special Olympics that are taking place in Athens. The achievement has come with a lot of joy and pride as it was the first time that Zaheer took part in the
Special Olympics.
After having won the silver medal, Zaheer was jubilant and said, “I just cannot believe that I have achieved excellence in my first attempt and I feel myself the luckiest person in the world and today I feel I don’t have hearing and speech deficiencies.”
Zaheer is the youngest participant on the Pakistan Special Olympics team at the age of 12. The young athlete was able to finish the 1000 metre cycle race in just two minutes and 45.20 seconds. Zaheer was bettered by Czech athlete, Denisa Kmentova. Kmentova
bagged the gold medal by crossing the finish line in two minutes and 17.34 seconds whereas the third position was taken up by Maricruz Marin of Costa Rica.
Durinng an after race interview in Athens, Zaheer added that the victory could not have been possible without all the hard work she had put in. She also said that such a task cannot be accomplished without determination. Zaheer also did not forget to mention
the Pakistan nation and thanked her friends and family back home for their support.
Special Olympics were started in 1968 at Chicago. The Special Olympics aim to provide children and adults with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to excel in life and make it fruitful for themselves and their families. The Special Olympics are scheduled
to be held after every two years and has become to be the biggest sporting event in which atheletes with intellectual disabilities participate. This time around, a total of 185 countries are taking part in the Special Olympics with 7500 athletes in Athens.
The Pakistan delegation that has come to attend the Special Olympics comprises a total of 89 members with Zaheer one of several medal winners.
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