No record but there is a silver lining for UAE sprinter Hammadi

Mohammed Hammadi had a Paralympic record in winning his heat, watched it be broken, but then came back to take silver in the 200-metre T34 competition at the London Games.

Mohammed Hammandi, centre, briefly held the Paralympic record in the men's 200m T34 sprint but only for a few minutes as after his heat Tunisia's Walid Ktila eclipsed his mark. Hammadi would finish second in the final to Ktila.Show less

Mohammed Hammadi added to the UAE's medal count Wednesday night after winning the silver medal in the 200-metre T34 competition having earlier set a Paralympic record in winning his heat.

Hammadi clocked a time of 29.03 seconds, but his record stood for only a few minutes as Walid Ktila of Tunisia flashed home in 27.98 in the second heat at the Olympic Stadium, breaking Hammadi's mark.

Ktila won gold in the final.

Hammadi's silver was the UAE's second medal in London after shooter Abdullah Sultan Al Aryani won gold in the mixed R6-50m air rifle prone SH1 earlier.

Mohammed bani Hashem vowed to return better prepared for the next Paralympic Games in four years after narrowly missing out on reaching the wheelchair 100m T53 finals.

Bani Hashem, 27, had a personal best time of 16.01 to finish fourth in his heat but was ranked ninth overall and missed out on advancing to the finals.

"I was a bit disappointed I couldn't go into the finals. It could have been a good day had I made it," he said, but added that the gold medal won by Abdullah Sultan Al Aryani in shooting "made it happy and a proud day not only to me but the UAE".

Micky Bushell from Great Britain won the gold in a record Paralympics time of 14.75.

"It is my first Paralympics and I can take a lot of positives from this experience," bani Hashem said. "My preparation for the next Games in four years from now will begin as soon as I touch base. I have enjoyed everything I did, everything I saw and the experience I gained from London."

Mohammed Vahdani, 32, finished fifth in his first round heat in the 1500m T54 on Monday.

He participates in the 800m and 400m events today.

Ahmed Khamis Al Baloushi, 37, comes out for the first time when he competes in the 100kg and over powerlifting.

Thuraya Al Zaabi was 11th in the F33/34/52/53 women's javelin, which was won by Birgit Kober of Germany in a world-record throw of 27.03 metres.

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