Disabled powerlifter Mohammad Fahim Rahimi rests during training at a gym in Kabul June 17, 2012. Limping on his prosthetic leg as he crosses a barren room scattered with a motley collection of weights, Rahimi laments the poverty and neglect preventing the large number of disabled Afghans from pursuing sport. The 29-year-old is the only Afghan athlete to have qualified for this year’s Paralympics in London, but there is hope that the Games will highlight the fate of Afghanistan’s estimated two million disabled people. Picture taken June 17, 2012. To match Story OLY-PARA-AFGHANISTAN/RAHIMI REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail (AFGHANISTAN – Tags: SPORT WEIGHTLIFTING OLYMPICS)
Training is difficult in Kabul, but Afghanistan’s only Paralympian says even if he doesn’t get a medal, his presence will help raise awareness about the strength and plight of disabled people in Afghanistan.
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