DUBAI – Pakistan’s Tanveer Ahmed made history earlier this week by winning first-ever silver medal in World Archery Para Championships 2022 held at the Dubai Club for People of Determination.
This was announced by the World Archery Federal on its website.
Ahmed and his teammate Waleed Aziz are the first visually impaired Pakistani archers to take part in world champions, outside of Pakistan.
“It’s awesome,” said Ahmed earlier this week to the Asian Paralympic Committee website. “We have come this far and I want to make the most of this opportunity. The journey has just begun and there’s a long way to go, he was quoted as saying by the World Archery Foundation.
On the back of his impressive performance, Ahmed managed to reach the final, where he was defeated by world number two Ruben Vanhollebeke.
“We came here with the hope of participation so the silver medal is a bonus, something more than what I expected,” the 38-year-old Ahmed said following his defeat in the game.
“It is definitely a proud moment for me and my entire team to win the first medal for Pakistan in visually impaired archery. I want to work harder now and take the gold next time.”
Ahmed dedicated the Pakistan’s first-ever medal in archery championship to his family and coach Muhammad Ijaz, who has been by biggest support and guide.
The pair played in the blind cricket team for 16 years before adopting archery as new career path.
“Our life took a new turn with archery,” revealed Ahmed. “When I started para archery in 2017, playing at the world championships was my biggest dream but now I hope it will be included in the Paralympics,” he told the federation.
“Initially we have done a lot of work; right from the set up to training. Now at times, we get small funds from various foundations,” explained Ahmed earlier this week.
“In Pakistan, we have over 60 visually impaired archers. We also have ground to train and sometimes we train with the Pakistan abled-bodied national team.”
For Aziz, he is excited about spreading the reach of the sport he loves when he arrives back home.
“Dubai 2022 has given us great exposure and we are talking to the top players here, learning lot of new technique and tactic,” said the 30-year-old.
“After returning home, we plan to go to other provinces and share our experiences from here with the young players.”
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