Albania’s first time presence in Paralympics

TIRANA, Sep. 12 – Haki Doku became the first Albanian athlete in the history of the Paralympics when he competed in London on his hand-bike, a special, three-wheeled bike driven by force of arms. His dream was fulfilled thanks to the Integra Foundation and many others.
Haki Doku, 43, a disabled Albanian citizen, had always dreamed to compete in the Paralympic Games and on the opening of the Games on August 29th, Doku made its entry into the arena with the Albanian flag given to him two days before in Tirana by the President of the Republic, Bujar Nishani.
he was also accompanied by Roberto Rancilio, a famous name in the hand-cycling world, current president of the European Hand-cycling Federation, and representative of the sports group Rancilio Parabiago Haki is part of.
When 27, Doku worked informally in Italy at a construction site and he fell from a scaffold and hurt the spinal cord turning into a paraplegic. Following several months of rehabilitation, he learned to move on a wheelchair. But this did not end his passion for sports. He learned cross-country skiing on a specially built sleigh, and then hand-biking – riding on a bicycle with three wheels, one front and two rear, where the athlete is lying back on a bench, his legs secured to the two supports. The wheels are moving under the thrust of the arms, thanks to the gears that take the place of the pedals.
From 5th to 8th September, he ran on the tracks of the London Cycling Road, side by side with great athletes like Italian Vittorio Podesta, gold medal at the World Championships 2012.