Qatar’s Ali Arshad (L) during the final of men’s 100m T34 racing event at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Doha: Qatar’s Ali Arshad yesterday produced his personal best of 15.20 secs to storm into the final of men’s 100m T34 racing event at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Qatar Olympic Committee’s First Vice President Mohamed bin Yousef Al Mana attends men’s 100m T34 qualifying round at Stade de France in Paris yesterday.
Competing at the packed Stade de France, Ali finished third in his heat behind Thailand’s Chaiwat Rattana (14.81 secs) and Tunisia’s Walid Ktila (15.09 secs) to earn direct qualification into the final.
A field of nine athletes including UAE’s Mohamad Othman will vie in the final set to take place today.
Ali hoped his best is yet to come as he expressed his confidence ahead of the title race.
Qatar’s Ali Arshad (L) during the final of men’s 100m T34 racing event at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
“I am very happy with my personal best time and this performance has given me a huge morale boost before the final,” the 20-year-old said in a statement after the first round.
“Winning a medal for Qatar at Paralympics is a dream and I will give my best to achieve the goal.”
Qatar has won an overall three medals at the Games with Abdulrahman Abdulqadir, who is not a part of current contingent, winning two – a silver at Rio 2016 and a bronze at Tokyo 2020 – besides Sara Masud, who also claimed a silver medal in Rio.
Qatar’s head of the delegation Dr. Hassan Al Ansari congratulated Ali for his personal best time, saying he has a great chance of winning a medal today.
“We are happy with Ali Arshad’s personal best as we see all the hard work yielding positive result,” said Dr. Al Ansari.
“He will enter the final with sheer confidence and we believe he has a good chance of winning a medal in the tough final. We wish him all the best,” he added.
Following the 100m showdown, Ali is also scheduled to take part in the 800m event starting on Friday.
Meanwhile, Sara continued her preparations for the women’s shot put as she hopes for a maiden Paralympic gold medal. The seasoned athlete will begin her campaign on Thursday.
