It was a good day for the hosts at the Dubai 2022 World Para Athletics Grand Prix with UAE throwers grabbing the limelight on the second day of competitions at the Dubai Club for People of Determination.
Rio Paralympic silver medallist Noura Alketbi led the medal charge for the UAE, winning gold in the shot put wheelchair women F32 final, with a distance of 6.07m. Alketbi, who had a fourth-place finish at Tokyo 2020, save the best for last to finish ahead of Algeria’s Mounia Gasmi (5.74m) and fellow UAE thrower Thekra Alkaabi (4.26m).
After two days of competition, the UAE sit in the standings 13th with eight medals. Colombia are top of the medals table, ahead of Thailand and Tunisia.
Rio 2016 Paralympic bronze medallist Sara Aljneibi threw 5.79m to take silver in the women’s shot put wheelchair F34 behind Algeria’s Asmahane Boudjadar (6.42m)
Abdulla Mesbahi added another silver for UAE on the second day with an effort of 22.19m in the discus wheelchair men F54/55 finals. Syria’s Wasim Alrezk (31.26m) took the gold.
In women’s discus final F40/41/44 finals, Maryam Alzeyoudi brought home a silver with her effort of 21.21m finishing behind Tunisia’s Raoua Tlili (33.77m).
Syria took their second gold in the day through Ali Asaad who got a distance of 11.08m in men’s shot put F11/20 final.
World record for Iraq’s Ahmed
The day also witnessed one world record in men’s javelin F40 when Iraq’s Naas Ahmed threw 39.08m to take the gold.
Switzerland legend Marcel Hug took gold in the men’s 1,500m wheelchair T54 race, while Great Britain’s Hannah Cockroft claimed her second title of the competition in the 100m wheelchair women T34/53.
The Championships, hosted under the patronage of Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, kicked off the World Para Athletics’ Grand Prix season with around 500 athletes from 43 nations in action. They hold significance as athletes will aim to achieve minimum qualification standard for the July Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and Asian Para Games in Hangzhou in October.
