The UAE's Mohammed Othman missed out on a medal in the men's T34 100m wheelchair final at the 2024 Paris Paralympics on Monday, finishing fifth.
The youngest member in the UAE’s 14-member squad at just 20 years of age, Othman clocked 15.77 seconds to finish fourth in Heat 1 on Sunday. He had to wait for results from second heat before securing his passage into Monday’s final.
In the final, Thailand's Chaiwat Rattana took the gold medal with a new Paralympic record time of 14.76.
Tunisia's multiple Paralympic medal winner and the 100m world record holder Walid Ktila secured the silver medal in a time of 15.14 with Austin Smeenk of Canada bagging bronze with a time of 15.19.
Rheed McCracken finished fourth ahead of Othman and Qatar's Radi Ali Arshid with Henry Manni of Finland and China's Wenhao Gong.
Elsewhere, Refugee Paralympic Team triathlete Ibrahim Al Hussein said he had come to "give a message of hope" after taking part in his third Paralympic Games.
Born in Syria, Al Hussein fled the civil war in his homeland, first seeking refuge in Turkey before settling in Greece in 2014.
But prior to fleeing Syria, the future Paralympian was injured during the war and lost his right foot as well as the joint of his left foot in 2012.
"I came to give a message to everyone, a message of hope," said Al Hussein after completing his race at the Paris Paralympics.
"Everyone, from where we are in the world, is going through a difficult time. Everyone can reach their destination.
"With serious work, with hard work, everyone can achieve their goal. It's not just the athletes. Everyone can achieve their goal."
Al Hussein overcame the hardships of war, injury and displacement to participate in para-swimming at Rio 2016 and then at the Tokyo Games three years ago.
Now in his third Paralympics, the 35 year old competed in the triathlon, finishing sixth in the men's PTS3 race – the category for athletes with significant disabilities.
"I am very happy. It was a very good result for me. It was my goal to be in the top six," said Al Hussein after recording a time of 1hr, 12mins and 34secs.
"I want to thank the International Paralympic Committee for giving me this opportunity," he added.
"And I want to thank the UN Refugee Agency for believing in me."
School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
