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This Sunday, the young athlete will compete in the 100m para-athletics T64 category.
Lebanese Paralympic athlete Arz Zahreddine is gearing up for a new adventure at the Paris Games, having previously competed in Tokyo 2020. Zahreddine is the first Lebanese and Arab to qualify in the amputee category, making him a symbol of determination and defiance against adversity. The 25-year-old champion will compete on Sunday evening at 10:23 PM (Beirut time) in the 100m T64 para-athletics event.
Fifth Paralympic Participation for Lebanon
This will be Lebanon’s fifth Paralympic participation since the Sydney Games in 2000. Édouard Maalouf represented the Cedar country in Beijing 2008, winning two bronze medals, and again in London 2012. However, Lebanon was absent in Athens 2004 and Rio 2016.
In preparation for the Games, Zahreddine follows a strict diet and a daily training program, both in the gym and on the field. “I hardly ever stop,” he tells This is Beirut. This time, he will compete in the 100 meters instead of the 200 meters. Zahreddine expresses his preference for the 100 meters, his new favored distance. “I am excited to take on this new challenge,” he adds.
Twists of Fate
Before reaching this point, fate dealt him a severe blow in his childhood. His life took a horrific turn after a terrible car accident in the Chekka tunnel when he was three years old. He lost his right leg below the knee.
“I had a difficult childhood, marked by bullying and surgeries, before realizing at the age of 7 that my salvation would come from sports,” the champion explains to This is Beirut.
His athletic journey began at the age of 7 when he wanted to practice fencing. He managed to excel in this discipline at the national and regional levels. Between 2012 and 2017, he won several gold, silver and bronze medals at the Lebanese national championships, as well as bronze medals at the West Asian junior championships in foil team and individual épée.
At 18, he shifted to athletics with the Tokyo Games in his sights. This marked the start of a long and challenging search for sponsors to buy the essential training equipment. “Thanks to the various sponsors who provided me with all the necessary equipment, I was able to train and qualify for Tokyo,” he notes. However, it was ultimately due to his own performances that he qualified for the Tokyo Games, securing gold in the 200m T64 and silver in the 100m at his first international competition, the Grosseto Grand Prix 2019 in Italy, and finishing eighth at the 2019 Dubai World Para Athletics Championships, becoming the fastest Asian runner.
In 2022, Zahreddine suffered a muscle tear that forced him to halt competition for a year and a half. But through perseverance, he made a strong comeback in 2023, winning a gold medal at the Francophonie Games, becoming the first Lebanese and Arab to achieve this feat, and earning a spot for Paris.
“I want to present a positive image of Lebanon and Arabs in Paris. I remain convinced that the true handicap is in the mind, not in the body. Therefore, nothing will prevent me from continuing my journey and reaching my goals. I will put all my strength into Sunday’s battle,” concluded our national champion.
Twenty-two years ago, the entrance of the family car into the Chekka tunnel plunged Arz Zahreddine into an indescribable nightmare. Will he finally see the light at the end of the tunnel at the Paris Games?
