Pakistani athlete becomes Asia’s first qualified disabled paragliding pilot

HONG KONG: Ajmal Samuel, a Pakistani athlete, leading entrepreneur, and a Pakistan Armed Forces veteran has lately made historical past through changing into the primary certified disabled (adaptive) paragliding pilot in Hong Kong and Asia, marking a brave and galvanizing success.

In step with a handout, Ajmal, a former national-level rowing athlete from Hong Kong, finished his rigorous coaching in South Africa’s Desert, situated within the Western Cape patch.

He launched into his advance to South Africa in February 2024 with a novel objective: to fulfil his dream of gliding once more, regardless of maintaining a spinal shock in 1987 all over his carrier as a tender military officer.

With a zeal for journey and a progressive spirit, Ajmal sought coaching beneath the professional steerage of Matthew Van Zyl, a famend paragliding trainer founded in Cape The city.

Van Zyl is not just a licensed paragliding trainer but additionally holds accreditation for teaching folks with disabilities. Ajmal’s coaching beneath Matthew’s steerage would be the topic of a unique documentary, filmed all over his in depth coaching programme, to be exempt upcoming this past, which marks a vital milestone now not just for himself but additionally for the adaptive paragliding people.

Ajmal is not just Matthew’s first adaptive paragliding pupil but additionally the primary particular person with a incapacity to reach complete qualification as a solo paragliding pilot on each the African and Asian continents. New from qualifying for his pilot’s licence and as a dramatic finale to the documentary, Ajmal is now atmosphere himself the problem of leaping from 5,895 meters-high Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, the first actual disabled pilot to struggle the world-record feat.

Earlier than his shock, Ajmal was once a certified fixed-wing glider pilot all over his tenure within the military. Regardless of the demanding situations he confronted, his interest for flying by no means waned. Turning into a certified adaptive paragliding pilot has been the realisation of a lifelong dream for Ajmal, who has demonstrated important resilience and resolution all over his advance.

“I have always wanted to participate in aviation sports in Hong Kong and Asia and introduce them to the disabled community in the region, but this has been hampered by the lack of both facilities and awareness in this part of the world,” defined Ajmal. “I hope my documentary, and hopefully the setting of a new world record in an extreme sport like paragliding by a Hong Kong-based disabled person, will help educate and inspire the disabled community in Asia to look to aviation as a sport that they can participate in as much as able-bodied people.”

Ajmal’s success serves as an inspiration to folks international, showcasing the ability of perseverance and the triumph of the human spirit over unhappiness. His historical accomplishment highlights the probabilities that exist for people with disabilities within the realm of closing journey sports activities.

Then a highway crash, year serving within the Pakistan Armed Forces, rendered him a paraplegic on the day of 21, Ajmal thought that was once the tip of an energetic and carrying way of life. 

Confined to a wheelchair and suffering to be constructive concerning the moment, it was once the help and love of crowd, buddies, and medical doctors that enthusiastic him not to surrender. With crisp paintings and resolution, he started to reshape his occasion.

First, professionally, Ajmal can now show pride that he’s the Founder and CEO of his personal monetary generation trade, OCTO3 Team Holdings Restricted, a Hong Kong-headquartered monetary generation and infrastructure supplier that specialises in bills and clearing area programs.

After, he fascinated with his health and condition to the purpose that he now fortuitously yelps himself a national-level continuity athlete, focusing particularly on rowing, hand-cycling, and triathlons.

Ajmal is a task style giving self belief to others that even a wheelchair isn’t a hindrance in pursuing desires, skilled or private.