• Iraqi paralympics table tennis athlete Najla Imad, poses for a picture near her trophies and medals at her house in Baqubah, on February 26, 2024. When car bomb survivor Najlah Imad first took up table tennis, her relatives warned against it. But a decade later, the Iraqi teenager who lost three limbs is gunning for gold at the 2024 Paralympic Games. Najlah was just three years old when a 2008 sticky bomb ripped into her father’s car -- an ex-military-- in the city of Baquba northeast of Baghdad. (Photo by Ahmad AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
    Iraqi paralympics table tennis athlete Najla Imad, poses for a picture near her trophies and medals at her house in Baqubah, on February 26, 2024. When car bomb survivor Najlah Imad first took up table tennis, her relatives warned against it. But a decade later, the Iraqi teenager who lost three limbs is gunning for gold at the 2024 Paralympic Games. Najlah was just three years old when a 2008 sticky bomb ripped into her father’s car -- an ex-military-- in the city of Baquba northeast of Baghdad. (Photo by Ahmad AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
  • Najlah lost three limbs in 2008 when a bomb exploded in her father's car
    Najlah lost three limbs in 2008 when a bomb exploded in her father's car
  • But she is refusing to let her disabilities hold her back
    But she is refusing to let her disabilities hold her back
  • She practises daily at the Al Mawaheb Club in her hometown of Baqubah
    She practises daily at the Al Mawaheb Club in her hometown of Baqubah
  • Regular practice sessions are key for Najla to hone her skills
    Regular practice sessions are key for Najla to hone her skills
  • While Najla already has quite the medal collection
    While Najla already has quite the medal collection
  • She hopes to add a paralympic medal this summer
    She hopes to add a paralympic medal this summer

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MENA

Iraqi car bomb survivor Najla Imad prepares for the Paris Paralympics - in pictures

Najla Imad said playing table tennis improved her mental health

The National

May 16, 2024

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Updated: May 16, 2024, 11:16 AM
Iraq