Born without arms, plenty of moxie, Pakistani man masters snooker

Samundri (Pakistan), October 23

Muhammad Ikram, 32, takes intention, flexes his neck and strikes together with his chin, sending the cue ball throughout the desk and sinking his shot in a nook pocket. Born with out arms, Ikram has however mastered the sport of snooker.

In Samundri, a dusty, rural city in Punjab province, Ikram has spent eight years pushing a cue ball round together with his chin, and now he can tackle anybody.

“I have met very good snooker players who tell me I am a real genius and that I can bring great fame to Pakistan,” Ikram informed Reuters Television.

One of 9 born right into a poor household, Ikram was uneducated and disadvantaged as a baby. His essential pastime was watching individuals play snooker, a recreation nobody dreamed he might ever play. He doesn’t bear in mind how the thought struck him however someplace alongside the road and he began training in secret.

“He would eagerly watch the other boys play. He would keep wishing he also had arms so he could play like them,” mentioned his mom, Razia Bibi, including: “Then he started using his chin.”

Mian Usman Ahmed, co-owner of Cuemaster Snooker Club, says Ikram has gained a number of prizes in native tournaments over the previous two years.

“He would come to the club and ask that he be allowed to play. We would look at his arms and feel he was unable to. He insisted we allow him to…prove himself. When he did that, we saw he was actually very good,” Ahmed mentioned.

Ikram says individuals recognize his undaunted spirit and a few eateries permit him to eat free of charge, with waiters volunteering to spoon-feed him.

“God has not given me arms but He has given me courage. And I have used that spirit to fulfil my ambition. So, no one should lose hope,” Ikram mentioned when requested what he would say to others with disabilities.

He hopes at some point, with authorities assist, to play on the worldwide degree.

In the Special Olympic Games within the United Arab Emirates final yr, 92 Pakistani athletes participated — successful 18 gold medals, 28 silver and 15 bronze throughout 10 completely different sports activities.

Pakistan has 3.Three million individuals with disabilities, based on official figures, though different surveys put the quantity as excessive as practically 13 per cent of a inhabitants of about 210 million. Reuters