From refugee to para champion

TOKYO • From escaping war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo to becoming a maths teacher in Norway, it has been quite the roller-coaster ride for Salum Ageze Kashafali.

He can now add Paralympic gold medallist to his life story.

Kashafali cut an emotional figure on the track as he won the men's T12 100 metres in Tokyo yesterday, breaking his own world record in the process.

The 27-year-old, who has Stargardt disease, which causes a loss of central vision, recalled how he "came from nothing".

"I don't know what to say, man," he said. "I came from begging on the streets. I believed. I moved to Norway as a refugee. I have been through so much, from bullets to hunger, and to be here as one of the best means a lot to me.

"It is worth it. To come from zero to something - that is how to put it. Everything is possible."

Kashafali ran 10.43 seconds, finished ahead of Noah Malone of the United States (10.66) and Roman Tarasov (10.88) of the Russian Paralympic Committee.

On his harrowing experience as a child trying to survive, he added: "There were times when we were just struggling to stay alive. There was one night when my family were sleeping. Suddenly, we woke up and there were fires all over the place after some bombs had gone off.

"The first thing we saw after we got out of the door was people lying down on the ground. You are just waiting to die."

After bouncing from different refugee camps, Norway eventually accepted Kashafali and his family, and he is indebted to his adopted nation for giving him everything despite arriving as an illiterate child.

"I didn't go to school until I was something like 13 years old," he said. "I couldn't read, I couldn't even write my name. Moving to Norway was like winning the lottery.

"It was a one in a million chance, to go from begging for food to getting a roof over you. That's bigger than anything you can imagine.

"The goal was to win a medal. I know I am quick, but I didn't expect to run that fast. That was just a bonus. I'm very happy to be one of the fastest Paralympians ever. It is about pushing the boundary to compete. It hasn't sunk in yet. I don't know when it is going to sink in - maybe in a few weeks."

In the pool, para-swimmer Naohide Yamaguchi, who has autism, won the men's SB14 100m breaststroke gold for Japan in a world mark as the host nation made it four titles at the Paralympics.

His 1min 3.77sec time was 0.51 ahead of Australian Jake Michel, while Britain's Scott Quin took the bronze at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. Tomoki Sato won Japan's other gold medal of the day, adding the men's wheelchair T52 1,500m title to the 400m crown he claimed two days earlier.