Haider Ali

Haider Ali (born 12 December 1984 in Gujranwala) is an all-around Pakistani para-athlete who created history at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China by winning Pakistan's first ever Paralympic Games medal, a silver. He has the unique record of winning a country's first ever Paralympic gold, silver and bronze medals and remains the only Pakistani athlete to win a medal in Paralympic history. On 3 September 2021, he became the first gold medalist for Pakistan at the Paralympics. In 2019, he became the first Pakistani para-athlete to win a medal at the World Championships, a silver.

Early life Born with cerebral palsy, Haider Ali's athletic potential was discovered by sports officials in 2005 at a training camp in Faisalabad. Following classification by Dr. Rabab, Ali received specialized training in track and field events, including long jump, discus throw, high jump, 100m, and 200m. His talent flourished, leading to a successful international debut at the 2006 FESPIC Games in Kuala Lumpur, where he won one gold and three silver medals. Since 2006, Coach Akbar Ali Mughal has been a constant presence in Ali's career, guiding him to achieve his full potential.

Career 2008 Summer Paralympics Haider, who has cerebral palsy, took part in F-37/38 Category men's long jump and covered a distance of 6.44 meters, winning a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Paralympics. A Tunisian athlete, Farhat Chida, who covered the same distance, won a gold medal because he made six successful jumps overall, whereas Haider's second and fifth jumps were rejected but he managed to equal Chida in his last attempt. Haider's medal achievement was Pakistan's first Paralympic medal and was also Pakistan's first silver medal at the Paralympics.

Both Haider and Farhat Chida scored a total of 1104 points each through their 6.44 meter jump, which is also a new world record in the games for people with disabilities.

In addition to the T-38 Category, Haider also participated in three other events. In the 100 meter T38 sprint he was ranked ninth among nine runners, in the 200 meters against 7 runners he came in fifth and in the Discus Throw F37/38, where he was close to winning a bronze medal but his points tally of 986 fell just seven short of Dong Xia of China, who compiled 1003 points and took third place.

Asian Para Games In the 2010 Games in Guangzhou, Ali won a gold in Long Jump F37 and a bronze in 100m T38. 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. He repeated his gold medal feat in Discus at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou. It was also Pakistan's first ever bronze medal at the Paralympics. He was also the flag bearer for Pakistan during the opening ceremony of the Rio Paralympics.

2019 World Para Athletics Championships In 2019, he became the first Pakistani Para athlete to win a medal at the World Para Athletics Championships, a silver in F37 category discus throw event at dubai.

2024 Summer Paralympics Haider Ali won a bronze medal with his season-best throw in the Men's discus throw F37 at the Paris Paralympics Games 2024.

He made a throw of 52.54 meters in his sixth attempt, which earned him third spot in the final of the competition at the Stade de France. 2026 World Para Athletics Grand Prix Dubai Haider Ali clinched gold in the discus throw at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix on February 11, 2026. His 54.71 m throw outperformed athletes from over 50 countries, marking another major international success for Pakistan.

Awards and recognition In May 2026, Ali was conferred the Sitara-e-Imtiaz in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Paralympic sport and his role in bringing international recognition to Pakistan. He dedicated the honour to his parents, crediting their sacrifices, encouragement, and prayers as instrumental to his success.