The story of Ali Jawad is as inspiring as it is captivating. Born in Lebanon without legs, his move to the UK and subsequent rise to become a top British Paralympian has been full of highs and lows, with crippling illness and judging decisions that denied him his first medal this summer.
“I was born in Lebanon during the war with Israel. It was hard enough to bring up kids that didn’t have a disability let alone some one who did. So my parents took the decision that in order for me to have a normal life, we needed to move away. Aged six months old, England was our best option as they provided prosthetic limbs which could enable me to walk.”
He realised he had a natural talent for sport at an early age, whether playing in goal at the playground or getting to international standard in Judo. However, when a friend introduced him to lifting weights in his local North London gym aged 16, he did not look back: “I started lifting some weights and got spotted. When the coach mentioned that I had the potential to make a Paralympics, I thought I’ve been given a second chance, and so the journey began.”
Powerlifting has only one discipline, unlike the snatch and clean & jerk in weightlifting. The athlete is given three attempts to lift the heaviest weight he or she can. Jawad became European and World junior champion, and soon his coaches realised he had the talent to be an Paralympian.
However, the 2008 games was not a happy experience for the then 19-year-old. “Qualifying for Beijing was extra sweet as I broke the British record three times to qualify. The experience was incredible – I was like a kid at Christmas. I’d finally achieved a dream that I’d had for so long.
However, the experience was short lived when the night before I competed I was taken very ill. I was diagnosed with Crohns disease afterwards which could have ended my career. Yet the experience made me mentally stronger and I guess I grew up a little.”
Crohns, a debilitating bowel disease, caused Jawad to retire from the sport in 2009. However, in 2010, after major surgery to remove part of his intestine, he decided to resume training just a fortnight later. “It was crazy! I decided I wanted to get to the Commonwealth games five months later. It was the most painful experience I’ve ever had. My body was in bits all the time but I managed to get there. I knew then that I couldn’t turn my back on the London 2012 games. I’d regret it if I did. The dream was still alive.”
So Jawad went back to the gym, training 9-10 times a week. While Crohns re-emerged to scupper his 2011 season, he still gained the last automatic qualifying spot for his home games this summer. “I was more excited for these games as I’d have all my family and friends coming to watch me, especially after all the suffering I went through. There are no words to describe how proud I was.”
An outside chance for a medal, Jawad arrived in the shape of his life. What transpired was in his words, “probably the most heart breaking moment of my life. I don’t think I’ll truly ever get over what happened.” After breaking European record, he needed 189kg on his final lift: “I thought I’d lifted it and the crowd went crazy. But I got two red lights. I couldn’t believe it! We protested but the jury decided it was a good lift and I thought I’d won the silver medal. But then the jury changed their mind again, ordering a re-lift – they wanted me to come out and do it again.”
To lift at maximum energy twice in 10 minutes is nigh-on impossible, and Jawad did not make the re-lift. “I was heart-broken, in tears, I felt robbed. What makes it more painful is that I lost bronze as I was heavier than the Chinese lifter despite us lifting the same weight.” Two days later, there was a final nail in the coffin as the same thing happened to another lifter, but this time the jury let it go. “What was the difference between me and her? I really would like an explanation as to what happened that day, just for my sanity. Hopefully the authorities in charge do the right thing.”
Even so, Jawad is pleased with the way sport has changed the perception of disability in this county: “London 2012 organisers promised that the Paralympics were going to receive as much promotion as the Olympics. They haven’t disappointed and the reaction of the British public has been beyond words. We are now getting treated like superstar athletes, signing autographs, having photos taken and going on television. A lot of the people I’ve spoken to thought the Paralympics was much better that the Olympics. This goes to show that the mind-set about disability is changing in the right direction, and I really hope Rio take London’s example.
So what is next for Britain’s star powerlifter? “I’ve decided to not really take any time off and get back on the journey to Rio. But I have Europeans, Commonwealths and World Championships to look forward to before then.”
There are few more remarkable stories than that of Ali Jawad. Yet despite the setbacks, he is still only 23. He has future games to become a champion, and given his sheer determination, few would bet against him doing just that.