KOZHIKODE: Sunday marked a joyous occasion for the residents of Nadapuram as Abdulla Aboobacker covered a distance of 17.02m to bag a triple jump silver at the CWG. While his family members and friends were ecstatic, many people from different parts of the district came to his house to share their happiness.
His father, Aboobacker, said he was as thrilled with gold medallist Eldhose Paul’s achievement as his son’s. “Abdulla was a courageous and intelligent student who proved his mettle not just in sports but also in academics,” said Aboobacker who had earlier worked in the Middle East as a helper at a cafeteria.
His mother, Sara, said they couldn’t enjoy the moment live as there was no source for them to watch his performance. “Later we got to see his performance and we were all in tears,” she said. Kavoor Ali, the Vanimel AUP School physical education teacher who introduced the world of sports to Abdulla, said: “At a very young age, we were able to see the athlete in him. He started off as a 100m runner and then shifted to triple jump after moving to the Kallady School in Palakkad.”
His siblings are Muhammed and Safna. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, K Muralidharan, MP, and E K Vijayan, MLA, were among several leaders who congratulated Abdulla Aboobacker and his family.