Edward Maalouf: Going for gold

Since Lebanon first participated in the Olympic Games in 1948, Lebanese athletes have won a total of four medals. Although this statistic places them above Syria, Saudi Arabia and Singapore, it is a meager performance in comparison to much of the rest of the world; the United States has won 2296 since 1896 and even the little-known nation of Chinese Taipei has won 19. But as the countdown to the 2012 London Games continues (364 days and 23 hours at the time of writing), there is a new hope for Lebanon and his name is Edward Maalouf.As a competitive handcyclist, Edward Maalouf is the only person to have won medals for Lebanon at the Paralympic Games, and now he plans on bringing back Lebanon?s first gold from London next year. Born in 1968 in the Beqaa Valley, Lebanon, Maalouf now lives in the Netherlands, though is still close to his homeland. His career as a paralympic athlete (athletes with a physical disability, or those afflicted by blindness or Cerebral Palsy) began after he fell from the sixth floor of a building whilst at work in Beirut. This was in 1995, and since 1997 he has gone from strength to strength as a disabled sportsman, competing world-wide under the Lebanese flag. Maalouf?s first victory was at the handcycle marathon in New York in 2006, and in 2008 he took part in the Paralympic Games in Beijing, China. As Lebanon?s only competitor in these Games, he held the flag high during the opening ceremony and went on to win two bronze medals.Maalouf follows a rigorous training schedule in the Netherlands, and according to an interview with SRM, he currently participates in more than 30 races a year. As the London 2012 Games draw closer, it is now support that Maalouf is after, as this kind of top level training for any athlete is not a cheap undertaking. In an interview with Mouvement Pour le Liban, following Maalouf?s success in the 2008 Games, he stated that he received no support from the Lebanese authorities and that ?all they agreed to give were three plane tickets and a few tracksuits.?? Bearing this in mind, it is easy to understand why Maalouf is now appealing for support from wherever he can, and his campaign can be followed through his Facebook group.The British Ambassador to Lebanon, Frances Guy, spoke in April this year of Maalouf?s success, and encouraged the Lebanese to back him. She quite rightly said that ?Edward was Lebanon?s hero in Beijing,? and given that before his achievement, Lebanon had not won a medal since 1960, it is crucial that his success is not halted by monetary constraints. Maalouf is not only beacon of hope for sportsmen in Lebanon, but also for those facing disabilities, as he has proved what can be achieved with nothing but pure determination. Following the 2008 Games, he voiced his own optimism that his performance ?[W]ill motivate other handicapped people to begin doing sport, and try to reach what he [I] did.? Now with 376 days left until the 2012 Games in London, let us hope that Maalouf finds the support he needs, and brings home Lebanon?s first gold medal.For more information on his victories and training, visit his official website: http://www.edwardmaalouf.com/

Source: http://www.tayyar.org/Tayyar/News/PoliticalNews/en-US/Edward-Maalouf-ed-3464.htm

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