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The devastated father of a talented sprinter who died suddenly over the weekend aged 14 has broken his silence as it was revealed the teenager had aspirations of competing in the Olympic Games.
Zulqarnain Haider was a star athlete at Keilor Little Athletics Club in Melbourne’s northwest and had represented his state at national level.
Affectionately known as ‘Zulq’, the promising runner held the Victorian speed record and had won several state championship gold medals.
But now the Victorian athletics community is in mourning after learning the teenager passed away unexpectedly last weekend.
On Thursday, his grieving father Hussain spoke out to express his gratitude to all his loved ones for their support.
“I thank all my friends and family who supported me through the sudden death of my son and for the phone calls and messages at this difficult time,” he wrote on Facebook.
Talented sprinter Zulqarnain Haider, 14 (pictured), tragically died last weekend.
‘May Almighty Allah keep you all under his protection. Amen.’
Zulq, the second of four brothers, moved to Australia ten years ago from his hometown of Parachinar in northern Pakistan.
His family is very involved with the club, which also counts his brothers as members.
In recent years, as Zulq’s medal collection has continued to grow in Australia, he has been widely celebrated in Pakistan. Parachinar residents regularly celebrate their sporting exploits in supportive online posts.
The teenager’s father is also one of his biggest fans and frequently uploads photos and videos to social media highlighting his son’s sporting successes.
The devastating news was announced earlier this week by Keilor Little Athletics, with the club remembering the “incredible” athlete as “warm,” “determined” and an inspiration to all.
Since then, tributes and photographs of Zulqarnain posing with medals and trophies have flooded social media as the tight-knit community shared memories of the late athlete.
A woman revealed that Zulq dreamed of one day representing his country in the Olympic Games.
“He was a very humble and very talented competitor,” he said.
‘I got his autograph at state (championships) one year, because I told him one day he would be in the Olympics.
‘He laughed and said, “I hope so!”
Others recalled how Zulq’s athletic ability made the arena fall silent as everyone stopped to watch him tear down the racetrack.
“Zulq was one of those athletes that made you stop and stare,” one person said.
‘He kept us busy in Keilor every week breaking records in multiple events. I’ve never seen an end-of-season record board with so many line entries!
“An individual with a gift and a lot of talent taken away too soon.”
Another said: “I will never forget Zulq’s kindness and generosity towards the little kids at Keilor Little Athletics, he always had time for them… and (I will never forget) the silence that reigned on the track every time Zulq ran.”
“We had the privilege of watching him race and getting to know him in his short but brilliant life.”
Keilor Little Athletics thanked other clubs across Australia for their support and said they hoped the kind words brought comfort to Zulqarnain’s family.
Zulq has been remembered as a “warm” and “determined” athlete, loaded with talent, but incredibly humble and kind to those around him.
Local Melbourne clubs also shared tributes to the “brilliant athlete”.
“In the wake of the tragic news regarding the untimely passing of Keilor Little Athletics athlete Zulqarnain Haider, Melton City Little Athletics remains united in shock and sadness,” Melton City Little Athletics wrote.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to Zulq’s family, friends and the entire Keilor Little Athletics community.”
Coburg Little Athletics wrote: ‘Coburg would like to extend our deepest condolences to Zulq’s family and friends. He was a joy to watch and many of our athletes stopped what they were doing every time he ran. A phenomenal talent lost too soon.
In 2020, Keilor Little Athletics published a post gushing about Zulqarnain’s accomplishments.
‘Zulqarnain was in the top 10 boys at the centre, which is no surprise considering he broke the Keilor records for U11 boys in the 100m, long jump and 200m twice!’ the club wrote in September.
“What an extraordinary season, Zulqarnain, and congratulations on being last season’s under-11 boys champion.”