UAE Para athlete Mohammed Othman targets gold at LA Games

21-year-old was recently honoured in recognition of his first World Championships medal

Last updated: October 13, 2025 | 07:00

2 MIN READ

Dubai: Promising UAE Para athlete Mohammed Youssef Othman is on a high. The 21-year-old was in the spotlight for claiming his first ever medal at a World Championships in New Delhi recently. In a thrilling men’s wheelchair T34 race, the Dubai Club for People of Determination trainee Othman settled for the bronze medal finishing behind Thailand’s Chaiwat Rattana and Rheed McCracken of Australia.

UAE finish with 21 medals in Fazza Para Athletics Grand Prix 2025

But Othman has his target clear, he wants to win his gold medal. “I trained hard for the World Championships, for five months outside the Emirates, and the result in the 100m race was good one, but my goal is to win the gold medal,” he said targeting the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

Othman, at 20 years, was the youngest sportsman on the UAE’s team at Paris 2024 Paralympics where he finished fifth while he nearly missed the medal ending at fourth place at the last World Championships in Kobe, Japan. He was recently honoured for his achievement at the Dubai Club for People of Determination.

Mohamed Alhammadi wins first medal for UAE at World Para Athletics Championships

The medal was not just an indication of Othman’s rise but that UAE has got its new star in wheelchair races after Mohammed Hammadi, the multiple-time Paralympic medallist and three-time world champion.

Thani Juma Berregad, Chairman of the Club’s Executive Board, praised the great efforts made by the player and his coach in reaching the podium at such a major global event.

He also encouraged the player to multiply his efforts in future, which is of great importance in maintaining this achievement and accomplishing further successes.

Othman also affirmed that People of Determination are fully capable of shouldering the responsibility of raising the UAE flag at major international events.

His coach, Abdullah Al Mashrawi, praised Mohammed Othman’s ‘hard work and commitment’, noting that the achievement was the result of teamwork and a shared spirit of determination.

He added: “Mohammed Youssef is on the right path towards achieving even greater success, in line with the Club’s strategic vision”.

Jai Rai

Jai is a seasoned journalist with more than two decades of experience across India and the UAE, specialising in sports reporting. Throughout his distinguished career, he has had the privilege of covering some of the biggest names and events in sports, including cricket, tennis, Formula 1 and golf. A former first-division cricket league captain himself, he brings not only a deep understanding of the game but also a cricketer's discipline to his work. His unique blend of athletic insight and journalistic expertise gives him a wide-ranging perspective that enriches his storytelling, making his coverage both detailed and engaging. Driven by an unrelenting passion for sports, he continues to craft compelling narratives that resonate with readers. As the day winds down for most, he begins his work, ensuring that the most captivating stories make it to the print edition in time for readers to receive them bright and early the next morning.

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