Tiffany Hancock catches up
with the star names in the 2006 London Marathon
Shaho Qadir, 31, lost his legs at 13 when Saddam
Hussein bombed his Kurdish hometown, Halabja
(Kurdistan-Iraq). After 15 years of persecution, he
smuggled himself into England in a lorry and a year
later was granted asylum.
He took up wheelchair-racing 18 months ago and last
year came 19th in the London Marathon. He was named
Sportsman of the Year at the London Sports Awards.
So when did you start using a wheelchair?
At first I was given nothing to help me. No crutches
or anything. There were many other people with
similar injuries and I had to spend my time lying on
a bed. I received my first prosthetic legs and
wheelchair in 2002.
How did you stay fit?
I did press-ups and handstands. I've always been
interested in fitness. I played football and did
kick-boxing at school. |
Shaho Qadir a Kurd from Halabja
Photo: Telegraph |
|
And how do you find using prosthetic legs?
At first I found them very uncomfortable. At the
moment I am spending much more time in my wheelchair
as it all helps with my training for the London
Marathon.
What spurred you on to try wheelchair racing?
I wanted my arms to do what my legs used to do. When
I saw wheelchair-racing on television, I decided it
was for me.
So how did you get involved?
I was living in a hostel in Highgate, north London,
where I met Charlie Brown (a local gym instructor)
who helped me find out about wheelchair-racing. He
put me in touch with Steve Harris, who's a
wheelchair coach in Barnet. I alternate my training
between the two of them.
What's your schedule like?
I do at least two hours a day of road-training. I
never want to get back in my day chair afterwards. I
have to, though, to prevent wear and tear on my
racing chair. I also do gymnastics three times a
week.
What muscle groups do you focus on?
Everything. I need strong thighs to provide balance
in my chair and upper-body strength to propel me
along.
Is the equipment expensive?
Yes. The racing chairs are all custom-made and cost
about £3,000. Then there are the carbon-fibre wheels
that are £600 each and extra things such as gloves,
which are £80.
How many marathons have you done so far?
Three. London, Abingdon and Paris (last week). I'm
scheduled to do one in Switzerland on May 27 and the
New York Marathon in November. I may try to do the
latter on prosthetic legs.
Keeping busy then. What is your goal for this
year's London Marathon?
I want to beat last's year time, which was 1hr,
59mins. I'm aiming for 1hr 45mins.
What might slow you down?
Lots of things. Getting a puncture too early in the
race for one. Strong winds are also a problem and
rain doesn't help as it makes the push rims slippery
and hard to grip properly.
Do you know any of the other wheel-chair
athletes?
I know all the UK-based racers, a few of whom are
good friends. The more the merrier, I think. I enjoy
the competition.
www.telegraph.co.uk
Top |
® 