Tokyo Paralympics: Mena athletes in action on day 9

UAE medal hopefuls to fight for glory at the Games on Thursday

Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games - Athletics - Men's 1500m - T13 Final - Olympic Stadium, Tokyo, Japan - August 31, 2021. Rouay Jebabli of Tunisia reacts after winning silver REUTERS / Athit Perawongmetha

We are now into the final stretch of the Tokyo Paralympics and Thursday will see medals awarded in eight disciplines. Below are the Mena talent to follow including several UAE athletes and medal hopefuls.

Athletics

Olympic Stadium

Guaranteed Mena medals in what promises to be a nail-biting final of the T12 400m. Brimming with confidence from his 1500m silver medal win on Tuesday, Rouay Jebabli from Tunisia will undoubtedly be wanting to add to his haul. Two Moroccans, Rio 2016 silver-medalist Mahdi Afri and world record-holder Abdeslam Hili, will be racing for gold too.

Yemen’s only female para-athlete Belqes Ahmed Taresh will be competing in the final of the women’s F56 shot-put. Algerian duo Nadia Medjmedj and Safia Djelal will certainly be among the contenders for a podium place.

In the 400m final of the men’s T13 class, all eyes will be on world-record holder and champion from Rio, Mohamed Amguoun from Morocco. He is the only athlete in the field to have run under 47 seconds. However, it’s worth keeping tabs on Algerian Skander Athman, the 100m silver medalist is the only runner to run under 48 seconds this year.

In the men’s F11 discus final, Iran’s Mahdi Olad is expected to medal and will need to produce something extra special to challenge Brazilian Alessandro da Silva. Olad’s compatriot Nourmohammad Arekhi will be hoping to make his mark on his Paralympic debut.

UAE’s Sara Al Senani is among the finalists in women's seated shot put, F33 class. Paralympic champion and record-holder Asmahane Boudjadar from Algeria will have some tough competition particularly from Fouzia El Kassioui from Morocco. Look out too for Qatar’s only female representative at the games, Sara Masoud.

Seyed Javanmardi of Iran is among one of the favourites to medal in the F35 standing shot put final. Look out too for Ali Pirouj, also from Iran taking part in the final of the F13 standing javelin final shortly after.

Badminton

Yoyogi National Stadium

Egyptian Eldakrory is up against Taiyo Imai from the host nation while Israel’s Nina Gorodetzky faces Sujirat Pookkham of Thailand and then Cynthia Mathez in group play matches.

Canoe Sprint

Sea Forest Waterway

Shahla Behrouzirad of and Eslam Jahedi of Iran will be racing in their respective heats. Behrouziad in the women’s kayak single 200m KL3 class, and Jahedi in the men’s single 200m VL2 class.

Israel’s Pascale Bercovitch will be paddling for a place in the final of the women’s kayak single 200m KL2 class.

Afghan athletes Zakia Khudadadi, left, and Hossain Rasouli arrive at Haneda airport in Tokyo after a harrowing journey from Kabul to Paris, to compete in the Paralympics. AP

Cycling Road

Fuji International Speedway

UAE’s Ahmad Al Mansoori will be racing in the final of the men’s C1-3 road race. Look out too for Rio 2016 triathlon bronze-medalist Mohamed Lahna of Morocco.

Football 5-a-side

Aomi Urban Sports Park

Morocco have made it through to the semi-finals for the first time, where they face four-time champions Brazil.

Sitting Volleyball

Makuhari Messe

Iran’s men face Bosnia Herzegovina in the semi-finals, in a repeat of the 2016 final.

Swimming

Tokyo Aquatics Centre

Egyptians Ayaallah Tewfick and Youssef El Sayed will be swimming for a place in the final for the women’s 400m freestyle - S6 class and men’s 50m freestyle S1, respectively.

Israelis once again pushing for medals with Yuliya Gordiychuk, Ariel Malyar and Ami Dadaon all racing for final places.

Taekwondo

Makuhari Messe

Afghanistan’s first-ever female paralympian, Zakia Khudadadi will open the women’s K44 class -49kg with her match against Ziyadakhon Isakova of Uzbekistan. Morocco’s Soukaina Es-Sabbar starts her tournament against Anna Poddubskaia of the Russian Paralympic Committee.

Look out too for Mohamed El Zayat of Egypt who is taking on Alejandro Vidal Alvarez of Spain in the men’s K44 -61kg.

Wheelchair Basketball

Ariake Arena

Iran take on South Korea in the men’s 9/10 place play-off.