Born without arms, plenty of moxie, Pakistani man masters snooker

 

Muhammad Ikram, 32, who was born without arms, plays snooker with his chin at a local club in Samundri, Pakistan, October 20, 2020. Picture taken October 20, 2020. REUTERS/Mohsin Raza

 

SAMUNDRI, Pakistan (Reuters) - Muhammad Ikram, 32, takes aim, flexes his neck and strikes with his chin, sending the cue ball across the table and sinking his shot in a corner pocket. Born without arms, Ikram has nevertheless mastered the game of snooker.

 

In Samundri, a dusty, rural town in Punjab province, Ikram has spent eight years pushing a cue ball around with his chin, and now he can take on anyone.

 

"I have met very good snooker players who tell me I am a real genius, and that I can bring great fame to Pakistan," Ikram told Reuters Television.

 

One of nine born into a poor family, Ikram was uneducated and deprived as a child. His main pastime was watching people play snooker, a game no one dreamed he could ever play. He does not remember how the idea struck him, but somewhere along the line, he started practicing in secret.

 

"He would eagerly watch the other boys play. He would keep wishing he also had arms so he could play like them," said his mother, Razia Bibi. "Then he started using his chin."

 

Mian Usman Ahmed, co-owner of Cuemaster Snooker Club, says Ikram has won several prizes in local tournaments over the past two years.

 

"He would come to the club and ask that he be allowed to play. We would look at his arms and feel he was unable to," Ahmed said.

 

"He insisted we allow him to ... prove himself. When he did that, we saw he was actually very good."

 

Ikram says people appreciate his undaunted spirit, and some eateries allow him to eat for free, with waiters volunteering to spoon-feed him.

 

"God has not given me arms, but He has given me courage. And I have used that spirit to fulfil my ambition. So, no one should lose hope," Ikram said when asked what he would say to others with disabilities.

 

He hopes one day, with government help, to play at the international level.

 

Pakistan has 3.3 million people with disabilities, according to official figures, although other surveys put the number as high as nearly 13% of a population of about 210 million.

 

(Reporting by Reuters TV; Editing by Gibran Peshimam and Tom Hogue)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-10-24

 

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Thank you "mr mr" for posting the video.

Brilliant heart warming stuff..I hope he gets his wish and visits other countries...

Even if this a a fantastic thing, and that the man is good at what he does, it could never be called snooker.

Snooker is played with a cue. He can not play the game as it is, and can therefore not be allowed to play on international levels. That would be same as mixing paralympics with the regular olympics. It might sound sad, but that´s the way things work as it is today.

 

After taking a look at the video it also looks like he is just at the same level as any other semi-good regular snooker club player. That video does not even touch any division at international level.

However, the man got a way to have fun in life and managed to overcome the problems to be able to do the things he likes in life. That´s a great achievement. 

I was thinking to post something funny but i'll refrain, not sure how it will be received...

7 minutes ago, ezzra said:

I was thinking to post something funny but i'll refrain, not sure how it will be received...

Sad how some abled bodied people think being disabled is funny.????

1 hour ago, Matzzon said:

Even if this a a fantastic thing, and that the man is good at what he does, it could never be called snooker.

Snooker is played with a cue. He can not play the game as it is, and can therefore not be allowed to play on international levels. That would be same as mixing paralympics with the regular olympics. It might sound sad, but that´s the way things work as it is today.

 

After taking a look at the video it also looks like he is just at the same level as any other semi-good regular snooker club player. That video does not even touch any division at international level.

However, the man got a way to have fun in life and managed to overcome the problems to be able to do the things he likes in life. That´s a great achievement. 

Gawd, what on earth are you talking about...........

Fantastic, absolutely great to see. Well done!

24 minutes ago, faraday said:

Fantastic, absolutely great to see. Well done!

Yep, it's great to read a heart warming story for a change, it's just a shame someone has to come along on here to try and discredit it.....????

He is better at snooker with no arms than I am with 2 

Keep it up and don't let others put you down 

6 hours ago, colinneil said:

Sad how some abled bodied people think being disabled is funny.????

Never said it was not sad. Just posted that everything else have rules, and then I assume same will go for this. ???? 

 

Ok, now we have the usual wrath making a go at it again. However, I am sure you can understand it Colin. If somebody put you in a race for 100m you would probably lose. It´s natural and noting wrong with that. The same goes for this man. If they only could write that it´s an amazing thing.

5 hours ago, Matzzon said:

Never said it was not sad. Just posted that everything else have rules, and then I assume same will go for this. ???? 

 

Ok, now we have the usual wrath making a go at it again. However, I am sure you can understand it Colin. If somebody put you in a race for 100m you would probably lose. It´s natural and noting wrong with that. The same goes for this man. If they only could write that it´s an amazing thing.

Edited 5 hours ago by Matzzon

 8 ball corner pocket. 

11 hours ago, colinneil said:

Sad how some abled bodied people think being disabled is funny.????

I think that humour can be found in almost anything. I'm sure that disabled people themselves make jokes about their disability.

Jokes don't need to be cruel or disparaging though.

I was thinking that, in the OP photo, Ikram has managed to put 2 balls in the side pocket - and he hasn't even taken his shot yet.