Iraqi still dreams of gold

The Olympics ended quietly for Iraqi weightlifter Mohammed Ali on Sunday but peace will be rare in the coming weeks when he returns home to Sadr City.

The Olympics ended quietly for Iraqi weightlifter Mohammed Ali on Sunday but peace will be rare in the coming weeks when he returns home to Sadr City, one of the most dangerous places in the world.

HT Image

Ali arrived in Athens, under tight security with the rest of the Iraq Olympic delegation, dreaming of following in the footsteps of weightlifter Aziz Abdul Wahid, whose bronze at the 1960 Rome Summer Games remains the embattled country's only Olympic medal.

But there will be no medal for Ali in Athens, with the most special moment of his career unfolding in a near empty Nikaia weightlifting hall watched by only a handful of spectators, officials and journalists.

With the top lifters in 56 kg weight class, including Turkey's Halil Mutlu, preparing to take the stage later in the evening, Ali battled it out for B group honours in the morning session placing third among eight competitors with an overall total of 255 kg.

Having failed to win a medal Ali will return home to Sadr City and an uncertain future but will not have to fear torture like past Iraqi sportsmen who did live up to Saddam Hussein's expectations.

For nearly two decades the country's Olympic committee was headed by Saddam's son Uday, who regularly tortured and imprisoned athletes when they did not perform to his standards.

Uday and his brother Qusay were killed by U.S. soldiers in July last year, several months after Saddam was toppled from power by American-led forces.

"I can hope it gets better," said the soft-spoken Ali, who qualified for Athens with a ninth place finish at last year's world championships in Vancouver. "Things have changed. Living has improved and I hope security will improve as well."

When he gets home, Ali wants to complete the final year of senior school and pursue his dream of an Olympic medal.