Jenaidel, the winner of the wheelchair event of the seventh Jeddah-Mobily Marathon for people with special needs held Tuesday, says that he is able to win his events because he believes his disability is in his body, not his mind. Fahd is a 25-year-old who has been practicing wheelchair racing since 2002. Although he was not particularly motivated in the beginning, he kept on training at the leadership development institute in Riyadh over the years. As a result of his persistence, he won first place at the Gulf, Arab and Western Asia championships for wheelchair racing for special needs people. “In 2009, I won second place at the world championships for people with special needs. The championships were held in India, with more than 18 participants in the race from 52 countries all over the world,” he said. The Saudi champion said that the General Presidency of Youth Welfare in the Kingdom has brought good coaches from all over the world to train Saudis with special needs. This has helped him improve in his sport, he said. “The Saudi Paralympics Committee, which is responsible for special needs sports in the Kingdom, prepared special programs of training in wheelchair racing. They trained me how to focus on my talent and to improve it, not only physically but also mentally and psychologically,” he said. Fahad said that the media can play a huge role in motivating special needs people to participate in sports events locally and internationally. This will allow them to gain more experience and to achieve better results. “What I want from media people is for them to write about these heroes of special needs sports. You don't know how much of a role these reports play in helping us achieve our goals,” he said. The Saudi champion added that he is currently preparing to participate in the coming world championships for people with special needs. “I will undertake more training courses prepared by the General Presidency of Youth Welfare to achieve first place in wheelchair racing, God willing,” he said. Fahad dedicated his win to his parents, friends and to Prince Sultan Bin Fahd, President of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare, who has supported them over the years.
