Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (DUBAI)
The UAE got a new star in wheelchair racing when Mohamad Othman raced to the gold medal of men's 100-metre T34 final on the opening day of the 16th Fazza Para Athletics Grand Prix – Dubai 2025 here on Monday.
Othman, the 21-year-old Dubai Club for People of Determination trainee, continued his winning momentum from the Sharjah International Championships to win his second international gold medal ever with a timing of 15.61 seconds.
The Emirati finished ahead of Australia's multiple-time Paralympic medallist Rheed McCracken (15.73) and Mauritius' Roberto Michel (15.78) in the race.
The Paris 2024 Paralympian had a mixed feeling on his result. His personal best came at Nottwil 2024 Grand Prix last year when he clinched the bronze with 14.95 seconds and the promising star was chasing closer or better than that.
"I'm happy to get a gold here, this was my second after the Sharjah event [held last week]. But I expected a better timing. I will train harder," said Othman, who also won the gold in men's 100m T34 final at the 13th Sharjah International Open Para Athletics Meeting 2025.
The youngster shared that his foreign training in Tunisia, before and after Paris 2024 alongside wheelchair racing seasoned star Walid Ktila, is working well for him. "The last few months has been all about training and training. We have worked on various aspects of game including his starts, adapting to the new wheelchair," said Othman, who will also be competing in 400m and 800m races in the coming days.
The hosts had other reasons to celebrate the day as Ali Al Mheiri (5.91) and Eisa Al Mazrouei (5.71) claimed the silver and the bronze in men's wheelchair shotput final F32 event.
In men's shot put final F35/36, UAE's Mohammed Al Kaabi claimed the bronze finishing behind Kazakhstan athletes with an effort of 11.46s.
Among the top stars, Switzerland's seven-time Paralympic champion Marcel Hug opened his account in Dubai with the gold in men's 1500m T54 races. He finished the race in 3:00.57 seconds.
Saudi Arabia's Abdulrahman Al Qureshi was also in action this evening and the result was as expected. The Paris 2024 Paralympic champion finished the men's 100m wheelchair T53 final in 15.44 seconds.
Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, the season-opening Grand Prix is witnessing competition among 400 para-athletes from 52 nations, and will run until Thursday.
The event is also the season opener in the Grand Prix calendar of the World Para Athletics, the world body for the sport.
