Abdullah Sultan Al Aryani, pictured collecting his silver medal, is back in action on Saturday in search of a second medal at the Rio 2016 Paralympics. Carlos Garcia Rawlins / Reuters
Abdullah Sultan Al Aryani, pictured collecting his silver medal, is back in action on Saturday in search of a second medal at the Rio 2016 Paralympics. Carlos Garcia Rawlins / Reuters

Paralympics: UAE’s Abdullah Sultan Al Aryani back in action and chasing second Rio medal



Abdullah Sultan Al Aryani will look to win his and the UAE’s second medal at the Paralympic Games in Rio on Saturday when he competes in the R3 mixed air rifle prone SH1 competition.

The shooter got the UAE's campaign in Brazil off to a great start on Thursday when he took the silver medal in the R1 men's 10m air rifle standing SH1 competition.

Al Aryani, a 2012 gold medallist at London in the mixed 50m rifle prone SH1 event, will begin his challenge with the qualification round, which begins at 4.30pm UAE time.

If he qualifies for the final, he will then compete for a medal, starting at 6.45pm.

More from the Rio 2016 Paralympics:

• UAE: Al Aryani wins silver in men's 10m air rifle

• Zenab Al Breiki: Nervous butterflies belie athlete's contagious smile

UAE: Paralympians revelling in Rio Games atmosphere

Al Aryani is the busiest member of the UAE squad in Rio, taking part in four competitions in total before proceedings end on September 19.

He is also in the R7 50m rifle three positions S1 contest, which takes place on Monday, and then he defends his mixed 50m rifle prone title on Wednesday.

Also representing the UAE in Saturday’s event are Abdullah Saif Al Aryani and Saif Al Nuaimi.

Meanwhile, in Friday’s action, a season’s best effort from Zenab Al Breiki earned her a fifth-place finish in the F32 women’s club throw contest.

The best of the three throws made by Al Breiki, 20, during the competition was 16.84 metres, which came in the second of her six attempts.

This put her one place ahead of compatriot Noura Al Ktebi, whose best throw was her first-round effort of 15.97.

The competition was dominated by Algerian Mounia Gasmi, who broke the world record three times on her way to claiming the gold medal.

Gasmi held the world record going into the event with a throw of 23.43, set in Dubai in March, but she beat that in the first round with 24.60, and then went even further with a 25.24 in the second, before finishing off with 26.93 with her final attempt.

Tunisia’s Maroura Brahmi took the silver medal, with Great Britain’s Gemma Prescott the bronze.

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