Maryam Al Zeyoudi won a gold medal at the 2024 Para Athletics Championships in May. Photo: WAM
Maryam Al Zeyoudi won a gold medal at the 2024 Para Athletics Championships in May. Photo: WAM

Al Zeyoudi and Khalaf narrowly miss out on medals as UAE end Paralympic campaign



Maryam Al Zeyoudi and Mohammed Khamis Khalaf both narrowly missed out on medals for the UAE at the Paris Paralympic Games on Saturday.

Al Zeyoudi, one of the UAE's flag-bearers in the opening ceremony on August 28 alongside cyclist Ahmed Al Badwawi, just missed out on a place on the podium as she finished fourth in the women’s F40 shot put final at the Stade de France on Saturday.

She threw an area best 8.62m throw to finish behind Lara Baars of the Netherlands, who took gold with a Paralympic record 9.10m effort. Poland's Renata Sliwinska took silver with a season's best 9.00m, while Tunisia's Raja Jebali won bronze after equalling her season's best with a throw of 8.66m. Oman's Sara Al Anburi finished in 11th place with a season's best of 4.48m.

Al Zeyoudi’s effort was as close as the Emirati Paralympic team came to winning a medal after their star shooter Abdullah Sultan Al Aryani finished sixth in the 50m Rifle 3 positions.

Earlier, Al Zeyoudi had finished 12th in the F40 discus throw finals. It was her second Paralympics after 2020 Tokyo.

The 26-year-old had previously won shot put gold in the World Championships in 2024 Kobe and a gold and silver in the discus and shot put at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. Her two efforts at Paris stand as her best results in the Paralympics.

Later in the day, Khalaf also finished fourth in the powerlifting 80-kilogram final with a best lift of 210kg.

Panpan Yan of China took gold with a Paralympic record lift of 242kg. Mohamed El Elfat (224kg) of Egypt and Ukrainian Yurii Babynets (214kg) took home the silver and bronze respectively.

Khalaf, 55, was on his sixth appearance in the Paralympic Games, being the first Emirati Paralympian to win gold, at 2004 Athens. He followed that up with silver in 2008 Beijing and clinched a second gold at 2016 Rio.

Maryam Al Dhanhani went down to Khatira Ismiyeva of Azerbaijan in the women’s judo 70-kilogram J1 in the round of 16.

Khatira won by Ippon after 18 seconds at the Champ de Mars Arena. Al Dhanhani had scored a Waza-ari after eight seconds.

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The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.

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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

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Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

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How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

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Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

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Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.

School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.

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Director: Rohit Shetty

Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone

Rating: 3/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Updated: September 07, 2024, 1:02 PM

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