PARALYMPICS – BAHRAIN’S Rooba Alomari is all set to go for gold today as she kickstarts the kingdom’s campaign at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in France.
Alomari will be competing in the women’s discus throw F55 category, which is the class for participants in field events taking part from a seated position.
The 33-year-old is set to be one of 13 competitors in the final, which is scheduled for an 11am start, Bahrain time.
Alomari is marking her third participation at the Paralympics and had come close to her event’s top three at both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2021. She is now hoping to make it onto the podium and add to the kingdom’s medal tally at the quadrennial event.
Alomari heads into her competition today with a personal best of 23.69 metres and a season’s best of 23.53m.
She will be up against some tough competition, including all three medallists from the previous Paralympics in Tokyo, namely gold medal winner Dong Feixia of China, Diana Krumina of Latvia, and Rosa Maria Guerrero of Mexico. Alomari finished an impressive fifth that year.
Reigning world champion Erica Maria Castano Salazar of Colombia is also in the fray.
The rest of the field includes Natalya Semyonova and Nurkhon Kurbanova of Uzbekistan, Iveth del Rosario Valdes Romero of Panama, Karam Jyoti Karamjyoti and Sakshi Kasana of India, Norelhouda El Kaoui of Morocco, Maria Guadalupe Navarro Hernandez of Mexico, and Korotoumou Coulibaly of Mali.
Alomari is one of two para athletes competing at this year’s Paralympics for Bahrain. The other is Husain Mohamed, who will be taking to the track alongside running partner Abdulla Jameel in the men’s 400 metres T11 category, which is the class for para-athletes with a high level of visual impairment.
Mohamed’s event is scheduled to get underway tomorrow with the first-round heats in the morning and the semi-finals in the evening. The final will then be held on Sunday. The 29-year-old is making his debut in the Paralympic Games.
Both Alomari and Mohamed took part in the official opening ceremony late Wednesday night in Paris. They were dressed in traditional attire and had the honour of carrying the kingdom’s flag during the parade of nations.
Also in attendance were Bahrain Paralympic Committee (BPC) president Shaikh Mohamed bin Duaij Al Khalifa, BPC secretary general Ali Mohammed Al Majed, Bahrain Sports Federation for Disabilities president Shaikh Sultan bin Duaij Al Khalifa, and other officials.
Alomari and Mohamed are hoping to add to Bahrain’s 10-medal haul in the history of the Paralympics. The kingdom’s tally includes two gold medals, won by Fatema Abdulrazzaq in 2016 in Brazil and Khaled Al Saqer in 1988 in South Korea, three silver, and five bronze medals.
The three silver medals were claimed by Ahmed Meshaima in 2004 in Greece, Ayman Al Heddi in 2000 in Australia, and Adel Sultan in 1988 in South Korea.
The five bronze medals were clinched by Ahmed Kamal in 2000 in Australia, Al Saqer in 1992 in Spain, Ali Alhasan in 1988 in South Korea, and both Khaled Al Binfalah and Sultan in 1984 in the UK/USA.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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