As part of our buildup to the Tokyo Olympics we will be profiling Arab athletes and para-athletes as well as those from the Mena region hoping to make it to this summer's Games
At 51, the fire still burns bright inside Mohammed Khamis Khalaf.
The Emirati powerlifter is preparing for his sixth Paralympic Games in Tokyo this summer after the 2020 event was postponed by a year following the outbreak of Covid-19.
Khalaf made his Paralympic debut at Sydney 2000 where he narrowly missed out on the medal round.
He finished fourth Down Under and that performance gave him the confidence to go forward and strike gold in Athens four years, making him the first Emirati Paralympian to achieve that feat.
At Beijing 2008, Khalaf suffered an elbow injury but battled through to return with a bronze. However, the damage worsened and required surgery. The time he took to recover - coupled with another injury to his right shoulder - put paid to his chances at London 2012.
Khalaf then bounced back to bag his second Paralympic Games gold at Rio 2016. Now he has his sights firmly set on a third Paralympic gold at Tokyo.
"I was preparing well and ready for Tokyo when the pandemic came," Khalaf told The National during a training session at the Dubai Club for People of Determination.
“We had to start all over again but I believe everyone preparing for the Games had to face the same problems as me. We all have to accept the decision to postpone the event because of the severity of the situation.
“The pandemic was something that we never expected. The situation is still not very clear but we are hopeful the Paralympic Games will take place as per the new schedule, and with that hope we are continuing to prepare.”
The postponement of the Paralympic Games by a year hasn’t altered Khalaf’s training schedule. His participation in buildup events is less clear because of the ongoing travel restrictions brought on by Covid.
“The plan was to participate in four international competitions abroad and the final one in Dubai, the Fazza Championship, but there are some uncertainties because of the prevailing Covid-19 situation,” Khalaf said.
“We are waiting for our federation to confirm the competitions we are going to participate in. So fingers crossed on that.
“My preparation for Tokyo is going well and I know what is required, now that I’m heading for my sixth Paralympics. I had a little break when it was postponed but now we have a good schedule to follow and I’m confident to be at my best in time of the Games.”
Khalaf has more than two decades of experience in top-flight competitions, which is almost as long as his partnership with his Moroccan coach Titou Kacem, whom he first met in 1993 at the Dubai Club for People of Determination.
“Khalaf was very active person taking part in several sports including shot putt and wheelchair racing when I first met him,” Kacem said.
“He was good at powerlifting and I suggested he concentrate on it to prepare for competitions.”
Khalaf’s first big competition was the World Powerlifting Championship in Dubai in 1998. He finished ninth from a field of 24, which he said was the turning point for him.
Thereafter Khalaf celebrated his first gold at an International Championships in New Zealand in the 185.7kg category to qualify for Sydney 2000.
“The first international competition in Dubai made me believe in myself that I can compete against the best in the world,” Khalaf, who suffered leg paralysis caused by polio when he was a child, said.
“At first, I was nervous when I saw those whom I was competing against in Dubai. I never thought I would finish ninth.
“And then Sydney motivated me to work harder to aim for a medal. To achieve that was a huge moment because it came after Sheikh Ahmed Hasher had won the UAE’s first Olympic gold in shooting at Athens.”
In the lead-up to Athens, Khalaf won tournaments in Spain and Belgium and followed it up with a third gold at the International Championship in Cardiff in 2001.
He then won gold in his first appearance at the Gulf Championship in 2003 before going on to create history in Athens.
Kacem described Khalaf as a physically and mentally strong individual with a remarkable work ethic.
“Age is only a number for Khalaf,” he said. “He remains as fiercely competitive as when he first started. His work, discipline and commitment all through has been outstanding.
“Actually, he has a big heart. He never says he is tired. He always completes the tasks given to him and that’s the success we can see in him. He is willing to do extra work. He can go on until I tell him that’s enough.”
Khalaf is employed at the Dubai Courts but is given time-off for his training and backed by the UAE Paralympic Sports Federation.
The receptions hosted by both Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, whenever he returns with a medal is the best motivation for Khalaf.
“What more can you expect when our leaders receive us and commend our achievements in person,” Khalaf asked.
“Our federation doesn’t push us to deliver at every competition but encourage all of us to participate and to do our best. There is absolutely no pressure for us to win a medal at every competition.
“I have got many things in life through sports and I owe all that to our country’s leaders, the federation and of course Titou, who has been more like a brother and mentor to me than a coach.”
Khalaf’s employer gave him paid leave for 2020 and has extended it until the Paralympics in Tokyo, slated for August 4-September 5.
According to Kacem, the usual training routine is five times a week but intensifies when they are close to a competition to twice a day and six days a week. They also hold internal and external camps.
Khalaf and Kacem, 53, have become best of friends over the years and the coach said they have never had a spat since their first meeting.
“I arrived in the UAE in 1991 and did various coaching and physical training assignments for the Dubai Police,” Kacem said.
“I did some part time work at the Dubai Club for People of Determination. That’s when I met Khalaf. We have got on well from day one.
“I saw the potential in Khalaf from the time we started training. The rest is history, as they say.”
