Mohammad Aalam Sheikh, a 30-year-old paraplegic Mumbaikar, who participated in the Can Am International Para Swimming Championship held at Ottawa, Canada, has made India proud by winning the bronze medal
Mohammad Sheikh (sitting left) with his coaches and team members
Mohammad Aalam Sheikh, a 30-year-old paraplegic Mumbaikar, who participated in the Can Am International Para Swimming Championship held at Ottawa, Canada, has made India proud by winning the bronze medal in the breast stroke round. Mexico won gold followed by Puerto Rico, taking silver.
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Mohammad Sheikh (sitting left) with his coaches and team members
Understandably, he is excited with the win. “It feels great. My body from waist down was paralysed after a doctor made a mistake during a spinal tumor operation. From that day to this, it feels like an accomplishment,” said Mohammad, who after quitting IBM, is pursuing MBA from Chennai. The tournament was held from July 15 to 17.
After being coached by Rajaram Ghug, who is a National level paraplegic swimmer himself, this is Mohammad's first international title. In 2015, he won three golds and in 2014, he had won four golds, both at national level competitions. Coach Raghuram, who was unable to contain himself, expressed his joy saying, “I have really high hopes for him. His growth has been consistent. I am very proud of him, and I am confident he will make his mark in the coming para Olympics.”
The win for Mohammad not only gets him international recognition, but also helps him get ‘No cost to government’ clearance from the Sports Authority of India (SAI), explained Rajaram. He said, “If a player gets recognised internationally, the Sports Authority of India sponsors him for the bigger tournaments. In our country, it’s very difficult to get sponsorship. To go for this event too, Mohammad had to take funding from his college in Chennai, which would have easily cost him around Rs 2 lakh otherwise. So for him, it’s a big win.”
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