DUBAI, 23nd March 2017:  UAE had a field day winning four medals even as Algerian athletes dominated the podium on a record-breaking second day of the 9th Fazza World Para Athletics Championship – Dubai 2017 in the new Dubai Club for the Disabled stadium on Tuesday 21st March.
Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council (DSC), the season-opening World Para Athletics Dubai Grand Prix which has attracted 386 athletes from 41 countries, is being organized and supervised by the Dubai Club for the Disabled with the support of their strategic partners Dubai Sports Council, World Para Athletics Sports Technical Committee of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the General Authority for Youth and Sports Welfare (GAYSW), and the UAE Paralympic Committee.
Hosts UAE have the largest number of 48 athletes from among the 41 countries namely Algeria, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Bahrain, Czech Republic, Egypt, Fiji, Zambia, Britain, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Ireland, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Latvia, Libya, Moldova, Macedonia, Namibia, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Samoa, Singapore, Switzerland, Slovakia, Sweden, Tonga, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey and Uzbekistan.
UAE won five bronze medals on Tuesday through Abdullah Hayayei, Mohammed Al Kaabi, Noura Al Ketbi, Thuraya Al Zaabi and Mariam Matroushi, to add to their tally seven medals on the opening day of the competition.
Hayayei clinched the bronze medal in the shot put wheelchair men’s F34/57 final throwing a distance of 9.52 meters to add to his silver medal in the javelin wheelchair F34/37 class on the first day. Azerbaijan’s
Samir Nabiyev (13.30m) won the gold while Kazakhstan’s Pavel Sidorchuk (10.86m) claimed the silver.
Mohammed Al Kaabi grabbed the bronze medal in the shot put men’s F35/36/38 final with a best throw of 11.29 meters to add to the gold medal he won in the men’s discus F35/36/38 event on the first day. Azerbaijan’s Rufat Rafiyev (13.66m) won the gold and Latvia’s Edgars Bergs (13.71m) took silver.
Rio Paralympic champion Asmahan Boudjadar held off a strong challenge from five Emirati athletes in the shot put wheelchair women’s F32/33 final setting a new African record of 5.88 metres to clinch her second gold medal in the World Para Athletics Dubai Grand Prix. Her Algerian compatriot Mounia Gasmi (4.86m) claimed the silver medal.
Noura Al Ketbi clinched the bronze medal with her second good throw of 4.13 meters over team mates Aishah Salem Bani Khaled (3.54m), Meera Al Kassab (3.31m), Thekra Al Kaabi (3.01m) and Sara Al Qubaisi (2.35m).
Veteran Para Athlete Thuraya Al Zaabi claimed UAE’s fourth bronze medal on the second day of the 9th Fazza World Para Athletics Championship in Dubai in the discus wheelchair women’s F34/53/54 final being the best in the F34 with her second throw of 14.06 meters edging out her compatriots Latifa Al Suwaidi (10.95m) and Suaad Al Hammadi (8.46m). This was the second bronze medal won by Thuraya after securing third place in the javelin wheelchair women’s F33/34 class on the opening day.
Fatema Nedham, who made history at Rio 2016 as Bahrain’s first-ever female Paralympic Games medallist when she won the shot put F53 won the Dubai title setting a new Asian record (F53) of 10.14m setting while here team mate Amal Ali (11.56m) claimed the silver.
UAE’s fifth medal came in the javelin women’s F37/38/44/46 final when Mariam Matroushi (F46) came third throwing 29.01 metres. Norway’s F44 thrower Ida Nesse won the gold with a best of 32.62m while Japan’s Yukiko Kato (32.91m) took the bronze.
UAE’s medal hope Siham Al Rasheedy was placed fourth in the hotly contested javelin wheelchair women’s F56/57 final despite her best effort of 20.67 in the F57 class. Her team mate Sara Saleh Al Kaabi (8.51m).
World record
Algeria’s Safia Djelal set a new javelin F57 world record, as African (7) and Asian (4) records (total 15) fell by the wayside after two days of hectic competition in the 9th Fazza World Para Athletics Championship – Dubai 2017.
HE Thani Juma Berregad, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Fazza World Para Athletics Championships – Dubai 2017, crowned the winners in the presence of Al Ghamdi, head of the Saudi delegation, and representatives of sponsors of the championship.
Three-time world champion Djelal, 34, underlined the growing strength of Algeria’s Para athletes adding 24 cm to her own previous javelin F57 world record mark with her third throw of 25.95m in the women’s javelin F56/57, Djelal’s win was one of a number of Algerian successes at the season-opening World Para Athletics Grand Prix.
Her compatriot Nadia Medjmedj – double Rio 2017 Paralympic bronze medallist - threw a new F56 African record of 20.71m to finish in second place.
There was an African record too for Algeria’s former world champion Lahouari Bahlaz in the men’s discus F32 with his second attempt of 16.84m.
India’s Gurjar Sundar Singh (F46) completed a double winning the discus F44-46 to his javelin victory on the opening day.
The 21-year-old, who lost his left hand in an accident two years ago, threw a best of 44.56m to win his second gold medal in Dubai.
India’s clinched a third gold medal when Narender Ranbir (F44) threw 47.75m in the men’s javelin F40-44 final.
Germany’s Paralympic shot put F33 champion Daniel Scheil upstaged Saudi Arabia’s Hani Al Nakhli (19.32m) who beat him in the discus on Monday, by winning the javelin F33 with a best of 22.60m.
Rio bronze medallist Slovakia’s Marian Kureja won the club throw F51 in Dubai with a throw of 28.66m, just 1.30m shy of the world record.
In the men’s long jump T20/36/37 it was Singapore’s Suhairi Bin Suhani (T20) who leapt furthest with 6.54m.
 
Track action
Algeria’s Paralympic bronze medallist Sofiane Hamdi (T37) led a world-class field in the men’s 400m T36/37 clocking 53.73 seconds. Great Britain’s T36 Paralympic champion Paul Blake (56.19) was second and Egypt’s Mostafa Mohamed (T37) third (56.77).
Namibian Paralympic silver medallist Johannes Nambala (T13) completed a doubled clocking 49.01 in the T11/12/13 400m race.
Swiss ‘bullet’ Marcel Hug was fastest in the men’s 400m T54, crossing the line in 48.21. The 31-year-old wheelchair legend declared he was in the peak of his career and in no mood to slow down.
“I had a long break. My times are really good and I am really happy. Hope they will get faster during season because I’m in the best age now. I have been racing marathon for some years now. I’m not slowing down, just getting faster. I hope so,” said Hug whose long-term ambition is Tokyo 2020 while the London World Championships beckons in the horizon.
There was a win for Japan’s Paralympic 400m T52 silver medallist Tomoki Sato (59.80) in the men’s 400m T51/52, as Algeria’s T51 racer Mohamed Berrahal notched up his second African record in two days, clocking 1:19.30.
The men’s 400m T42/44/46/47 was won by Saudi Arabia’s T44 Para athlete Nour Alsana (54.76) while in the T20/38 race it was Great Britain’s T38 Para athlete Shaun Burrows (55.24) who took the tape.
Kuwaiti Hamad Aladwani (52.42) was fastest in the men’s T33/34/53 in which local favourite Mohamed Hammadi did not start.
In the women’s races, Nigeria’s Hannah Babalola claimed her third gold medal in Dubai, winning the 400m T34/53/54 to add to her victories over 200m and 800m the previous day. The T54 wheelchair racer clocked 59.86 to seal the win ahead of Turkey’s Hamide Kurt (T53) (1:01.04).
Great Britain’s Martina Barber (T20) won the 400m T12/13/20/38/47 in 1:02.22.
Awe struck
The world’s top Para athetes and officials were awe struck by the magnificent purpose built venue, the first of its kind in the world dedicated for disabled sports at the Dubai Club for the Disabled.
Swiss great Marcel Hug, a regular in the Fazza World Para Athletics Champioship, was awe struck by the new stadium.
“It’s great to be here. Normallly we stay in same hotel and have to go by bus (to the venue former Dubai Police Officers Club in Jadaf from Al Bustan). Now we can go easily by wheelchair. I feel very comfortable. I like the facilities and everything. The track is very good and very fast,” said Hug who is competing is six events in Dubai.
Great Britain’s sprint coach Joseph McDonnell echoed the sentiments of Hug and lauded the UAE for giving prominence to disabled sports.
“This is one country that has taken disability sports very seriously. I think it (stadium) will make a big difference because it’s really impressive. It’s a great track and facility is really amazing,” said McDonnell who pleased with the performance of his charges in Dubai which is the only Grand Prix they would be taking part before the World Championships in London.
“I won’t go to any other IPC championships. As a warm up came to this one just to see if winter training had gone well. This one (Dubai) is brilliant. Rest of races we will do in England. We like coming here (Dubai) anyway because always it’s a great event,” said McDonnell here for the third year.
“Sophie ran a PB (personal best). Zach (Shaw) has run very close to his PB. Shaun (Burrows) tore his hamstring 15 months ago. This is his fourth race. In 200 he was just outside his PB. All looking are really good. This is a brand new team,” he added.
The participants also enjoyed the hospitality and entertainment provided by the Dubai Club for the Disabled. Traditional Arabic delicacies freely available at the stadium in easily accessible stalls continues to be one of the most popular for everyone who visited the championships.