Tokyo Paralympics: the Mena athletes in action on Day 3

UAE’s Noura Al Ketbi will be competing in women’s club throw on Friday

Ibrahim Hamadtou, right, of Egypt will be in action during the men's table tennis competition at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. AP

Friday's Paralympic programme is the busiest so far with archery, athletics, judo, rowing, sitting volleyball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis all getting under way.

Below are the Mena athletes in action at the Tokyo Para Games.

Archery

Yumenoshima Ranking Field

Iran have athletes are in action today in all but one of the events.

Zahra Nemati will aim to build on her incredible legacy as she aims for her third gold medal in a row in the women’s individual recurve. Her first gold medal in women's individual recurve at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London made her the first Iranian of either gender to win a Paralympic gold medal in archery, and the first female Iranian athlete from any sport to win a gold medal at the Games.

Rio champion in the men’s individual recurve, Gholamreza Rahimi, will be aiming for his second gold medal.

Look out too for Mohammedreza Zandi in the men’s individual w1, Farzaneh Asgari in the women’s individual compound open, and Alisina Manshaezadeh and Ramezan Biabani in the men’s individual compound open.

Iraqis Zaman Al-Saedi and Sulaiman Sulaiman will be competing in the women’s individual recurve open and the men’s individual compound open, respectively.

Athletics

Olympic Stadium

UAE’s Noura Al Ketbi will be in action today in the women’s seated club throw f32 class. She will be up against Mounia Gasmi of Algeria and world-record holder in the f31 class, Hind Frioua from Morocco.

Big north-African battle to watch in the women’s shot put F41 final. Tunisia’s Raoua Tlili is the current Paralympic record holder and a hot favourite to win and claim her fifth Paralympic gold. Compatriot Samar Ben Koelleb took silver in Rio and will be a challenge in Tokyo.

However, watch out for Morocco’s Youssra Karim whose season's best is just 3cm short of Tlili’s. Fellow Moroccan Hayat El Garaa came seventh in Rio, but has made considerable ground since then, adding over a meter to her personal best.

In the women’s seated discus throw, Rooba Alomari of Bahrain is aiming for a podium finish.

Bahrain will also be in action in the men’s F38 standing Javelin final. Ahmed Meshaima will be making his fifth appearance at the games.

Tunisian Ahmed Ben Moslah is competing in the men’s shot put f37 final, on his best form he has every chance of getting onto the podium.

Somaya Bousaid of Tunisia holds the Paralympic record in the women’s T13 1500m. The two-time Paralympic champion will be lining up with Fatima El Idrissi of Morocco as both are expected to make it through to the final.

Iraq’s Fatimah Suwaed will be racing in the 100m heat of the women’s T35 class, she will be against Paralympic champion and record holder Xia Zhou of China.

Morocco’s Abdeslam Hili and Mahdi Afri will be racing in separate 100m heats for places in the men’s T12 final.

Ali Alnakhli from Saudi Arabia will be lining up against world record holder Nick Mayhugh in the men’s 100m T37 heat.

Cycling track

Izu Veoldrome

Mahdi Mohammadi of Iran will be up against Colombia’s Edwin Matiz Ruiz in the men’s C5 4000m individual pursuit qualifying heat.

Goalball

Makuhari Messe Hall

Egypt’s women will be taking on Team USA, while Algeria’s men go up against Brazil.

Judo

Nippon Budokan

Two Algerian’s in the mix in today’s judo tournaments.

Rio 2016 bronze medalist Cherine Abdellaoui is in the quarter-finals of the women’s -52kg competition, while compatriot Ishak Ouldkouider will be up against Maros Blanco of Venezuela in the elimination round of 16 in the men’s -60kg class.

Powerlifting

Tokyo International Forum

Plenty more incredible Mena powerlifters to get behind today. Egypt likely to feature on the podium throughout the day.

Three-time Paralympic champion and world record holder Osman Sherif from Egypt will be going for gold number four today in the Men’s -59kg. Meanwhile, fellow Egyptian Rehab Ahmed will be hoping to go one better than the silver she picked up in Rio in the women’s -50kg competition, where Moroccan Halima Lemtakhem will also be lifting.

Gihan Abdelaziz, from Egypt, will be lifting in her third Paralympic Games, this time lifting in the -55kg class. She will be competing with London 2012 discus gold medalist Najat El Garraa of Morocco and Mozah Elzeyoudi of the UAE.

In the men’s -65kg competition, Mohammad Tarbash from Jordan, Amir Jafari Arangeh from Iran and Hocine Bettir from Algeria will be the ones to watch from the region.

Swimming

Tokyo Aquatics Centre

Israel's Mark Malyar is very likely to medal in his first Paralympic Games. The 21-year-old’s first event is the men’s 200m individual medley SM7 class, for which he came second in the 2019 World Championships.

Table tennis

Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium

Egyptian Ibrahim Hamadtou is back in action today, this time against Chao Chen. Faiza Mahmoud of Egypt will be playing Ingela Lundback of Sweden, while compatriot Sayed Youssef takes on Masachika Inoue of Japan.

Israel’s Caroline Tabib is up against Panwas Sringam of Thailand.

Karim Gharsallah of Tunisia will be playing Eduardo Cuesta Martinez.

Wheelchair Basketball

Various venues

Both of Algeria’s teams will be playing today. The women will take on the Netherland’s while the men face Australia. Iran’s men will be up against USA.

Wheelchair Fencing

Makuhari Messe

Iraq’s men will be taking on Italy, Russia and China in the hopes of getting a place on the podium in the men’s epee team tournament.

Wheelchair Tennis

Ariake Tennis Park

Israel's Guy Sasson and Adam Berichevsky are both in action in the men’s singles today, while Yosi Saadon and Shraga Weinberg are in the quad doubles quarterfinal.