Wheeling his way against odds

Dubai: He is an embodiment of determination. Rob Holliday won the wheelchair marathon to once again prove that physical impediments cannot stop anyone from achieving glory.

Confined to the wheelchair following a car accident, he started participating in wheelchair marathons around the world.

In the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon on Friday, he improved his best time by a whole eight minutes. "I participate in this competition whenever possible. It has always been good for my morale and gives me a feeling that I am fit," remarked Holliday, who flew in from the United Kingdom to compete here.

'Feeling happy'

"In the London Marathon last year, I finished with a timing of 2:29mins, but today I did it with an improved timing of 2:21:07sec and that makes me feel really happy," added Holliday, who works as flight safety manager for Virgin Atlantic Airways. The road accident occurred when his car tyre burst and the vehicle overturned.

Holliday considers his victory here as special because Dubai was his home for nearly five years.

"I lived in Dubai from 1995 to 2000 when I worked as a captain for Emirates," he said.

Though the accident did shatter him, he fought his way back by deciding to keep fit. "I train about five times a week with three sessions on the track and two on the road," said the 48-year-old.

Not willing to rest on his laurels, he hopes to keep improving with every attempt. "I want to now better my mark in the next London Marathon," he noted before wheeling away to some of the friends who had come to cheer him.