Muscat: The Oman Para Athletics Meeting officially commenced on Friday with the active participation of Gulf nations. The events are taking place at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher. The sports meeting is being organised by the Oman Paralympic Committee (OPC) under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth from December 15 to 16. The competitions, supervised by the International Paralympic Committee, have witnessed excitement and personal records being broken.
In the javelin throw competition for female athletes in categories F54-F55-F56, Omani athlete Sheikha al Hamadia achieved first place with a distance of 9.50 metres. Her team-mate Reya al Abari secured second place with a distance of 8.80 metres and Omani athlete Rawan al Hassani took third place with a distance of 8.02 metres.
In discus throw for female athletes in categories F33-F34, Omani athlete Iman Taysir claimed first place with a distance of 10.64 metres. Emirati athlete Thuraya al Zaabia secured second with a distance of 9.82 metres and Omani athlete Fadia al Manjia took third place with a distance of 7.82 metres.
In discus throw for female athletes in F40 and F46, Maryam al Ziyoudi from Team Khor Fakkan of UAE, secured first place with a distance of 19.87 metres. Maryam al Matroushi claimed second place with a distance of 23.50 metres.
In men's shot put for F12-F11, Rashed al Siyabi from Team Al Noor, Nizwa, came on top with a distance of 8.37 metres. Salem al Thuwaini from Team Oman secured second place with 7.21 metres and Mohammed al Balushi from Team Oman finished third with 5.87 metres.
In men's discus throw for F36-F37-F41, Mazen Abdullah from the OPC came first with 17.63 metres. Aamer al Shibli claimed second with 22 metres and Ahmed al Mahrouqi finished third with 14.15 metres.
ABDULLAH WINS JAVELIN GOLD
In men's javelin throw for F54-F55-F56-F53, Abdullah al Musbahi from Team Khor Fakkan, UAE, won the gold with 19.24 metres. Fawzi al Hubayshi from OPC claimed second with 18.98 metres and Maktoum al Maqbali from Al Tadaman Team of Oman, ended third with 17.94 metres.
In men's discus throw for F54-F57, Abdullah al Musbahi from Team Khor Fakkan of UAE, won the honours with 22.16 metres. Sultan al Shamsi from Team Solidarity, Oman, claimed second with 20.45 metres and Abdullah al Dhuhani from Team Khor Fakkan, UAE, finished third with 29.74 metres.
Tareq al Suwaidi, CEO of the Asian Paralympic Committee and the Technical Director of the meeting, appreciated the smooth organisation of the competitions with good preparation. He noted the strong competition and the emergence of promising talents, expressing confidence that the athletics meeting will become a crucial international event in the coming years, qualifying participants for the Olympics and World Championships.
Al Suwaidi commended the good participation of athletes from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, emphasising the interest in developing their capabilities and the international reputation of the Oman Para Athletics. He mentioned that the first-day competitions were intense, showcasing several promising talents, and the overall atmosphere was positive, with high morale among the athletes.
He pointed out that the Omani teams have achieved notable success globally and at the Olympics, attributing it to the significant attention they receive. The Oman Para Athletics Meeting aims to motivate people with disabilities and create a stimulating environment to showcase their abilities in various track and field sports, including competitions for different types of mobility, visual, and paralysis impairments.
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