Frustrating Paris Paralympics for UAE shooter Abdullah Sultan Al Aryani

Mohammed Othman and Ahmed Al Bedwawi look to keep nation’s hopes alive in wheelchair and cycle road race

UAE's Abdullah Sultan Al Aryani at the Paris Paralympic Games. Photo: Mateusz Szklarski / IPC

Abullah Sultan Al Aryani, the UAE’s main medal hope, exited the Paris Paralympic Games after being eliminated in the qualifying round of the mixed 50 rifle prone SH1 at Chateauroux on Thursday.

Appearing in the last of the three shooting competitions, Al Aryani finished 25th with an average score of 615.2 in the qualifier while his teammate Saif Al Nuaimi (617.4) finished eight places above him at 17th. Only the top eight qualified for the final.

Al Aryani, 54, is one of the most successful Paralympians, having won two golds in 2012 London and 2020 Tokyo, and three silver medals at 2016 Rio. However, his efforts proved unfruitful this time around.

He narrowly missed out on a place in the 10m air rifle standing SH1 in the first of the three competitions he participated in. Going into the next event, Al Aryani made it to the final in the 50m 3 positions, taking sixth spot.

On Friday, Mohammed Othman will be aiming to make it to the final for the second time when he competes in the 800m wheelchair T34 in heats that also include Thailand's Chaiwat Rattana, who won the 100m race in a Paralympic record time.

Othman, 20, is the youngest member of the 14-member UAE squad and finished sixth in the 100m event in his Paralympic debut.

Ahmed Al Bedwawi is the second Emirati in action on the day. He takes on 59 others in the C 4-5 road race. He wasn’t successful in the two track events earlier but will be hoping for a better outcome this time.

Earlier, South African duo Lucas Sithole and Donald Ramphadi secured Africa's first wheelchair tennis medal after clinching bronze in the quad doubles.

Following a tense tiebreak, Ramphadi and Sithole overcame Brazilians Leandro Pena and Ymanitu Silva 6-2, 4-6, 10-8 in the bronze medal match to take South Africa's medal tally to four.

Dutch duo Niels Vink and Sam Schroder won the gold medal match after defeating Britain's Andy Lapthorne and Greg Slade 6-1, 6-1.

Ramphadi, 31, who developed brittle bone disease at 12, won the French Open doubles last year with Lapthorne and was a finalist in doubles at the last two editions of the Australian Open.

“This venue is something special. Last year I won my first Grand Slam here on my birthday, now I have a Paralympic bronze medal. For me, to be here and winning a medal is crazy – I am just going to enjoy the moment,” Ramphadi said.