The 21 year old Farah Vohra participated in the freestyle, breast-stroke and relay swimming events of the Special Olympics World Games 2015 held at Los Angeles. She was one of the 6500 athletes participating from 135 counties all over the world. Farah bagged the 4th position in breast stroke, 5th position in freestyle and 7th position in relay swimming. She joined the team at KDSP to narrate her experiences at the recent Special Olympics World Games.
“Swimming has been my passion since the past 10 years and I was very determined to excel at this sport.” Throughout these 10 years, Farah participated in various regional and national level swimming competitions arranged by the Special Olympics Pakistan (SOP). Farah then got selected for the Special Olympics World Summer Games 2011 and 2015.
There was never an instant of nervousness during Farah’s World Games experience. She recounts with a laugh: “The only time I felt a bit nervous was when the airplane started to take off.”
Through this experience, Farah learned how to take up responsibility very well. She not only took good care of herself, but also looked after all her team members. She earned the titles ‘head coach’ and ‘superstar’ owing to her helpful and self-less nature.
When Farah earned the 4th position, she said to her family: “Earning the fourth position doesn’t matter to me. So what if I haven’t earned a medal, I have earned the title ‘Superstar’. It’s not about just winning or losing, the biggest achievement was getting selected for, and participating in an international level competition.”
Farah now aims to excel in other games apart from swimming. In the next Special Olympics she is keen on participating in racing events. “I don’t plan to give up swimming entirely, but I do plan to try out new games and take on new challenges to acquire a diverse set of experiences.”
Farah serves as an epitome of hard work, dedication and modesty
The 27 year old Asim Zar made headlines for bagging a gold medal in the aquatics competition in the Special Olympics World Summer Games 2015 held in Los Angeles. Who knew that the little boy who was scared to dip his feet into the pool would make his country and family immensely proud!
Asim’s journey as an athlete truly began when he was only seven years old. He participated in the Punjab Olympics under the category of athletics and that was the first time he won a gold medal.
In 2007 he was selected for China World Games in the category of athletics and long jump. Asim returned with two gleaming silver medals along with renewed self-confidence. Much to everyone’s surprise, he had transformed into an exceptionally confident child within a short span of a week. Living independently had instilled an enduring sense of self-confidence in him.
Asim later found an interest for swimming. Initially when he was enrolled for swimming classes, he was extremely scared to even dip his feet into the water. He would go for swimming along with his siblings, all his siblings would have fun swimming, but Asim would just sit in the corner and refuse to go near the water. A coach gradually helped Asim overcome his fear for water and eventually he was trained to swim within 6-7 months.
In the Special Olympics World Games 2015, Asim won a gold medal in the 100 meters freestyle aquatics competition clocking in a time of 00:02:29.56. He also got a chance to interact with international participants of other countries and learn from them.
Asim has now become independent. He attends KDSP’s arts and crafts classes for adults where he works his magic to make beautiful products. He is also employed in the packaging department of a confectionery factory, where he truly enjoys and has made many friends.
Had it not been for Asim’s enduring bravery and effort, along with and concerted support from his family, Asim would not have been able to spread his wings to take flight towards success. We hope that Asim continues to make us all proud in many more years to come!