Pakistan's premier athlete Haider Ali won silver in the men's F37 discus throw event at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya, Japan, on Wednesday, finishing behind Uzbekistan's Kudratillokhon Marufkhujaev in a closely contested final.
Ali, who won gold in the discus throw at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, recorded a throw of 57.20 metres to secure second place in Nagoya.
His throws remained 51.63, 56.51, 54.98, 53.65, 57.20 and 54.45 metres.
“Thanks God I had worked hard and was rewarded,” Haider told The Express Tribune from Nagoya.
"I have trained for one year as it was a big event," Gujranwala-born Haider said.
Uzbekistan's Marufkhujaev took gold with 57.39 metres, setting an Asian Para Games record, while India's Haney claimed bronze with 57.04 metres. Both Ali and the Indian athlete recorded personal bests.
The margin between gold and silver was just 19 centimetres, while Haney finished a further 16 centimetres behind Ali.
Uzbekistan's Tolibboy Yuldashev ended fourth with 55.39 metres, followed by Japan's Yamato Shimbo with 51.31 metres. Uzbekistan's Asilbek Mukimov placed sixth with 49.90 metres, while Thailand's Thanaphon Kongsao finished seventh with 36.34 metres.
The world record of 59.75 metres in the F37 men's discus belongs to Uzbekistan's Khusniddin Norbekov, who set the mark at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
Ali's silver added another podium finish to his decorated career in para athletics, as Pakistan secured a place among the medal winners in the event.
The 41-year-old has an illustrious career on the international stage. He won gold in the discus throw at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, silver in the long jump at Beijing 2008 and bronze in the long jump at Rio 2016. He also secured bronze in the discus throw at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Haider is also a four-time Asian Para Games gold medallist and has also won two bronze medals at the continental event.
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