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Paralympic ski racer Jasmin Bambur watches the images out of Ukraine — rumbling tanks, explosions, families fleeing for safety — and the flashbacks arrive.
Back to three decades ago, when he and his family escaped the conflict in the former Yugoslavia.
“The sound [of war],” the athlete said, “you don’t forget that.”
Bambur made it from Bosnia to Serbia and eventually to the US, where he was working on his degree and training for team handball when a car crash left him paralysed from the waist down.
He battled depression, discovered Alpine ski racing, represented Serbia at the 2010 Winter Paralympics and gained US citizenship.
This week in China, he's chasing an elusive medal at his fourth Paralympic Games.
“Fourth time’s the charm,” said Bambur, who finished 16th in the men’s sitting classification of the giant slalom Thursday in Beijing, with another medal chance this weekend in slalom.
“This gold medal, it’s been one of those unicorns that I just haven’t been able to attain yet.”
Bambur's childhood memories flooded back with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. His family fled Bosnia in the 1990s when war was breaking out, taking only a few belongings with them.
They relocated to Serbia, where jobs and money were scarce for his mum and dad.
He found an outlet through team handball, a sport that combines elements of basketball and football. When he reached military age, his family sent him to the US.
The athlete attended what’s now Middle Georgia State University and trained for the handball team.
On January 13, 2000, Bambur was driving home from a training session when he fell asleep at the wheel. He hit a curb and his car rolled, throwing him through the windscreen.
Bambur skidded along the road as his car tumbled ahead, settling into a ditch.
The next thing he knew, he was waking up in a hospital room to a nightmare: more than 80 stitches in his head, his right shoulder dislocated, his left arm broken, the skin on his back gone and a spinal-cord injury.
Doctors told him he would never walk again.
“I was like, 'You have no clue what I've been through,'” Bambur said.
The gravity of it all hit him about 48 hours later when his mother walked into his room.
“That was literally impossible,” he said of her gaining entry into the US from Serbia at the time. “I was like, ‘Oh boy, this is serious.’”
Bambur quickly fell into a deep depression.
“I’m telling these people, ‘Just let me die,' " he recounted. “There was no reason to get better.”
A therapist kept encouraging him while he went through rehab. She brought in an album filled with photos from skiing and kayaking trips. Next to her was her husband, who was in a wheelchair.
“I was like, ‘This guy has an absolutely fabulous life. All over the world and doing all kinds of fun stuff,’ ” Bambur said.
Then, he was introduced to the person in the photos — Bert Burns, a 1992 Paralympic gold medallist as part of the 4x400 relay.
“From that day on, I just literally took the bull by the horns and rode into a sunset,” said Bambur, whose mother, father and brother relocated to North Carolina. “I’m always grateful to this family, for what they have done for me.”
Bambur tried wheelchair tennis and basketball before turning to ski racing. It was always something he enjoyed, as his father was once a ski coach at a resort in Bosnia.
“I found an activity that involved speed, that was very aggressive, that I was completely independent — and I looked cool,” said Bambur, who now resides in Granby, Colorado.
He married his wife, Sarah, in May of 2007 and a month later they moved to Colorado so he could give ski racing a go for a season. If he didn't succeed, he would return to his desk job.
“It was great motivation,” he said, “because I didn't want to go back to that cubicle.”
He competed for Serbia at the 2010 Vancouver Paralympics. Not long after, Bambur was granted US citizenship and began to race for Team USA.
For the Paralympics in Beijing, Bambur switched his focus from speed events to the GS and slalom. His ambition remains the same as always — gold.
“Everything that I do has to be 110 per cent, whether it's playing tennis, swimming, fishing, hunting,” said Bambur."I always want to be on top of my game.”
He's full-speed ahead away from the slopes, too.
Bambur and his wife started a medical supply company after the Sochi Paralympics. He also sends equipment to Serbia to help out its Paralympic programme. In addition, he gives talks to those who are experiencing similar traumas.
“I always tell them, ‘Hey dude, you’re the only one that can change all of this. So how about you put a smile on your face, get out of this room and I will show you some of the ropes?'” Bambur said.
“Because life is full of surprises.”
'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 Chelsea 0
De Bruyne (70')
Man of the Match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
If you go...
Etihad flies daily from Abu Dhabi to Zurich, with fares starting from Dh2,807 return. Frequent high speed trains between Zurich and Vienna make stops at St. Anton.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
'The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'
Director:Michael Lehmann
Stars:Kristen Bell
Rating: 1/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
TALE OF THE TAPE
Manny Pacquiao
Record: 59-6-2 (38 KOs)
Age: 38
Weight: 146lbs
Height: 166cm
Reach: 170cm
Jeff Horn
Record: 16-0-1 (11 KOs)
Age: 29
Weight: 146.2lbs
Height: 175cm
Reach: 173cm
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm)
Burnley v Huddersfield Town (7pm)
Everton v Bournemouth (7pm)
Manchester City v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Southampton v Manchester United (7pm)
Stoke City v Chelsea (7pm)
Swansea City v Watford (7pm)
Leicester City v Liverpool (8.30pm)
Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Newcastle United (7pm)
Monday
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (11pm)
COMPANY%20PROFILE%3A
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Envision%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKarthik%20Mahadevan%20and%20Karthik%20Kannan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20The%20Netherlands%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Technology%2FAssistive%20Technology%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%241.5%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2020%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204impact%2C%20ABN%20Amro%2C%20Impact%20Ventures%20and%20group%20of%20angels%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
JERSEY INFO
Red Jersey
General Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the leader of the General Classification by time.
Green Jersey
Points Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the fastest sprinter, who has obtained the best positions in each stage and intermediate sprints.
White Jersey
Young Rider Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the best young rider born after January 1, 1995 in the overall classification by time (U25).
Black Jersey
Intermediate Sprint Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the rider who has gained the most Intermediate Sprint Points.
