Air raids and rocket fire disrupt his training, his running shoes are cheap and scruffy and even getting Israeli permission to leave the Gaza Strip was a struggle.

But armed with "faith and self-confidence", Palestinian athlete Nader al-Masri is determined to make Gaza proud at the Beijing Olympics in August.

"I want to raise a Palestinian flag and to win some pride for my town and for my country," said Masri, one of a four-member Palestinian team who hope to compete in China and the only representative from the impoverished Gaza Strip.

Photographs and Text: Reuters

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